


Unexpected Inheritance

by thenerdyindividual



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Nanny, Children of Characters, M/M, Single Parents, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2019-05-02 11:55:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14544195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenerdyindividual/pseuds/thenerdyindividual
Summary: Merlin inherits a large estate in the Scottish Highlands, completely out of the blue. In order to renovate the property he must leave behind London. Doing so, also means he has to leave behind his daughter Abby's nanny.  Eggsy gets kicked out when Dean blames him for a deal gone south, and now he needs a new job so he doesn't spend the rest of his life on Jamal's couch.





	1. Chapter 1

Merlin sighs and sits back in his chair. His eyes burn from staring at his computer screen for hours. 

He slides his glasses off and pinches the bridge of his nose. He rubs his eyes, puts his glasses back on, and leans in towards his computer. He's learned from experience that if he doesn't look busy every second he's at work, a stack of new requests will materialize on his desk. Whether or not he's back logged.   
He pokes at the keyboard, hoping the line of code he's been struggling with for two hours will suddenly speak to him.

Suddenly the receptionist peeks around the edge of his cubicle. It's the one physical reminder of his recent promotion. He got one of the big cubicles towards the front of the office. 

“Hey Merlin?” the receptionist asks, getting his attention.   
Merlin turns to look at her, “Yes Shannon?”  
“There's a lawyer here to see you? He won't tell me why, but Mr. Hoberman had me stash him in the conference room so you could talk to him.”   
Merlin frowns and stands up, “Why on earth would there be a lawyer here to see me?”  
Shannon shrugs and it makes her blue curls bounce, “You'll have to find out.”

Merlin straightens his jumper and follows Shannon out of the cubicle. They head down the hallway a ways and Shannon opens the door to the conference room for him. 

“Hamish Stuart?” the lawyer asks. Looking up from whatever stack of legal documents are in his briefcase. 

He’s a short man. His brown hair is cropped close to his head, his eyes are big and brown, and his face is almost doughy. He wears large rectangular glasses.

Merlin takes a few steps forward, holding out his hand, “That's correct. Can I ask who you are?”  
“Michael Boyle. I represent a land trust in Aberdeenshire.” he explains.   
“I fail to see what that has to do with me,” Merlin says and pulls out a chair so he can sit at the conference table, “And ye are clearly english.”   
Mr. Boyle ignores that quip and says, “I'm sure you're aware that throughout Europe there are old estates that have been abandoned over the centuries and are in need of repair.”   
“Vaguely.” Merlin admits  
“Many of the estates are left in the Scottish Highlands. One such estate is left on the coast of Aberdeenshire.” Mr. Boyle continues.   
“If ye are expecting me to catch on I'm afraid it's not working.”   
“Alright. Well the short version, you are now in possession of two hundred acres of land in Aberdeenshire.” Mr. Boyle says. 

If Merlin had water, he would have done a spit take. As it is he coughs a little in surprise and sits up in his chair again.   
“Excuse me?”  
“You are entitled to inherit 200 acres of land on which there is a minor manor house, some sheep grazing lands, and other assets. There's a more complete list in the packet.” Mr. Boyle says and passes Merlin a thick envelope.   
“But how?” Merlin asks, clutching the envelope.   
“Are you asking how you came into possession of the property?”  
“Yes.” Merlin answers, voice croaky with shock.   
“Inheritance records are spotty at best. But it seems like your great great grandfather, Robert Stuart was the last person to own the estate. He abandoned it in order to move into the city during the industrial revolution.” Mr. Boyle explains.   
“How is this coming out now? Why did ye come to me? There's not a second cousin or something that is more qualified?” Merlin asks  
“A developer is interested in building a luxury retreat on the property. The local government doesn't want that to happen. They are worried about stripping more history from Scotland. Hence the mad search for someone with a legal claim to the property.  
As far as your claim goes, it seems that there are no other descendants. Your family has, historically, had small families.   
Your great great grandparents had five children but your great grandmother was the only one who lived long enough to marry and have a child.  
Your great grandmother had two miscarriages before having your grandfather. And of course your grandparents had your mother and no other children. That leaves you as the only descendant.” Mr. Boyle answers 

Merlin shakes his head and rubs a hand over his head. This is sheer madness. This sort of stuff only happens in those terrible lifetime movies. He’s never heard of anyone unexpectedly inheriting a property. Unexpected money left in a great uncle’s will, yes. A minor manor house with sheep grazing lands, no.  
The only thought that circles through his mind is that somehow this must be invented. Someone has to have decided to prank him. Only one person who would do something like that comes to mind.

“Did Harry put ye up to this?” Merlin demands.  
Mr. Boyle frowns in confusion, “I’m not sure who Harry is. I assure you Mr. Stuart this is all real. I understand an inheritance this large might come as a shock, so the land trust has agreed to give you two months to decide what is to be done with the property. Although the do hope you will choose the route of restoration,” Mr. Boyle stands, closes his briefcase, and nods politely to Merlin, “My business card is in there should any legal complications arrive when trying to inherit. The number to call to make an appointment for an official tour of the property is listed as well. Have a good day Mr. Stuart.”

With that Mr. Boyle leaves. Merlin is left sitting in the conference room like his life didn’t just change forever.   
Shannon pokes her head inside, eyes wide, “What was that about?”

Merlin can’t really blame her for her nosiness. She works at a mid-level tech firm as a receptionist. The most excitement she gets all day is when some calls to make an appointment with Mr. Hoberman.  
“I just inherited a fucking manor house.” Merlin says faintly.

The first thing he does when he leaves work that night is call Harry. If anyone should know what to do it’s him. Merlin will have to put up with gleeful crowing about how after all these years it turns out Merlin is about to gain a large inheritance as well, but in the end Harry will give him solid advice.

The second thing he does is stop to pick up ingredients for dinner. He promised Abby he would start cooking at least once during the week and not leave poor Ingrid to cook all the meals during week days. She read an article in class that talked about the importance of cooking for family, and eating as a family, and apparently took it very seriously. Ten year olds tend to do things like that.

He pulls things off the shelf at random and when he climbs into his car it seems like he has managed to correctly cobble together the things he would need in order to make spaghetti.

He drives back to his flat, parks in the garage, and takes the stairs up. He fishes his keys out of his pocket and unlocks the door.

“Abby! Ingrid! I’m home!” he calls out.  
“Dad!” comes the usual shriek and seconds later Abby is barreling into his stomach.  
Merlin smiles and gives her a squeeze. Ingrid wanders in from the kitchen and smiles.  
“We were just finishing her homework Mr. Stuart.” she explains.  
“Bless ye Ingrid. I don’t know what I would do without ye,” Merlin thanks her, then prods Abby’s shoulder, “Alright miss missy. Ye go finish your homework while I make dinner. Ingrid will ye be joining us?”  
“Not tonight Mr. Stuart. I have plans.” Ingrid answers.  
“Alright. Abby say goodbye to Ingrid for the night then go finish whatever homework ye have left. I think Uncle Harry might join us in time for spaghetti.” Merlin explains.  
Abby peels herself off of his legs and gives Ingrid a hug, “See you tomorrow!” she sing songs, then collects some worksheets and disappears into her bedroom.  
Once her door is firmly shut, Merlin turns to Ingrid, “How was she today?”  
“She was fine,” Ingrid insists, “She struggles a little with her math facts but she acts like an angel.”

Merlin frowns a bit in disbelief. That makes Ingrid smile.  
“Okay. So she might act more like an imp than an angel but I wouldn’t say she has ever acted badly. Her teachers say they keep having to take her book away.”  
“I suppose if she’s acting like a pain, she at least isn’t distracting others. Thank ye Ingrid.”

Ingrid nods and begins collecting her things, “Do ye need me to take care of her tomorrow? She has dance class but she told me that she wanted to carpool with Jake.”  
“I’ll send Mrs. Singh a text and see if she is willing to carpool. If so then I can pick her up after work.” Merlin answers.

Ingrid nods, puts on her jacket, and leaves for the night. Merlin takes the groceries into the kitchen and sets about boiling water for pasta and making the sauce.  
“Ye better be doing your homework and not reading!” he calls out as he pushes garlic around the pot to brown it. There’s the telltale thump of something closing and Merlin smiles to himself. There are worse habits than reading too much.  
The doorbell rings but Merlin doesn’t bother to go answer it. He knows who it is. Harry enters the kitchen moments later.  
“I’m here. What do you need?” he asks  
“I’ll tell you after Abby heads to her room for the night.” Merlin answers and begins dishing out the spaghetti.   
“So mysterious.” Harry teases.   
Merlin ignores him and calls out, “Dinner Abby!”

Abby comes racing into the kitchen, says hi to her Uncle Harry, then digs into her helping with gusto. After dinner, they wash dishes, Abby showers, and then gets into her PJs and climbs into bed for her hour of reading before lights out.   
Harry and Merlin retire to the living room.

“Now that all that Abby is in bed can we drop the secrecy?” Harry asks  
Merlin pours them both a bit of scotch and collapses on the couch next to Harry.  
“That troublesome?” Harry asks. Merlin is well known for his no drinking on work nights policy.  
“I got some interesting news today.” Merlin says, taking a sip.  
“Which is?” Harry prompts.  
“I inherited a manor house in Scotland.” Merlin answers  
“I’m sorry?”   
“I know. It does nae make a lick of sense. Apparently there’s an old estate in Aberdeenshire that developers want to pave over for a luxury retreat or some shit. The government is scrambling to keep it and apparently the last person to own it was my great great grandfather. They want me to keep it, and renovate.” Merlin says and this time both men take a sip of their drinks.  
“This has to be a prank.” Harry says  
“That what I said but ye are a lawyer. Ye tell me if these papers are fake.” Merlin passes over the packet.

Harry reads through the entire contract. Twice.   
“No. It is definitely legitimate. The government wants to pay you a small allowance to replace your current income, and then give you grants for any major renovations that need to be done in order to restore it to its former glory.” Harry explains  
“Should I?” Merlin asks  
“What do you think?” Harry counters  
“If I knew what I thought, I wouldn’t be asking ye.” Merlin says, irritated.  
Harry takes a moment to ponder it, “I would say not to close the door just yet. Make an appointment to tour the property, see how much work it needs, and then decide whether it is a good fit for you and Abby.  
I know you just received that promotion but you have never been happy working there. They stifle your creativity. You have said so--”  
“Only when ye took me to the bar and got me drunk that time Ingrid agreed to stay late.” Merlin points out.  
“Be that as it may, you still admitted it. And Abby has been struggling here. Her only friend is Jake and that asshole didn’t invite her to his birthday party. Maybe starting over would be an opportunity for you both.” Harry says  
“I don’t want her to feel torn from this place. She’s lived in this same flat all her life.” Merlin points out.  
“You can decide what’s right for you both. But you need to know the full extent of both options to make an informed decision.” Harry says.

Merlin sits back on the sofa and nods. Harry is right.  
“Ye are surprisingly pragmatic tonight,” Merlin jokes, “I expected far more cracks out of ye about my beliefs about the class structure.”  
“Those are forthcoming,” Harry responds, “I decided to spare you tonight because your forehead vein was already pronounced enough.”

*

“Ye are gonna stay the weekend with Uncle Harry.” Merlin reminds Abby for the fifth time that night.  
And for the fifth time that night Abby pouts and says, “But I wanna go too!”  
Merlin sighs and kisses her little forehead, “I know mo laochain. But I can’t take ye with me this time. You have to be at school Monday morning and I won’t get back until after ye are in bed on Sunday night. Besides, I’m doing grown up things. It would be boring for ye. I promise I will bring ye back a souvenir.”

Abby continues to pout.  
“You know Uncle Harry spoils ye every time ye stay with him right,” Merlin says, taking a different tack, “I know he lets ye stay up passed your bedtime and eat too many sweets.”  
That seems to cheer Abby up and she finally stops pouting enough that she gives merlin a hug, “Love you Daddy!”  
“Love ye too mo laochain.” Merlin says and tucks her in for the night.

*

The property is vast. It is no wonder Merlin needed an actual tour guide. He would have been lost in minutes. For having been abandoned for almost two hundred years, the manor house is surprisingly liveable. Apparently the remote location kept it from being vandalized. The closest village is tiny, and consists of generations of farmers who grew up on the land, with a healthy respect for the place.

There are no major collapses of any section of the place. There is a load of crumbling brick however. Some floors are rotting and need to be replaced. Nearly all the windows have been broken over the centuries. Pipes are non existent in some places and rusted shut in others. And there is a family of Martens who have apparently taken the place as their own.

The grazing lands have remained in use over the last two hundred years so those are in fairly decent shape. Among the other assets Merlin is in charge of are: a lake (which needs to be dredged), a stable (which is not much but a pile of rotted wood and weeds), and an old fish and meat smoking house (whose roof has caved in).

As Merlin stands looking out over the property, he finds himself thinking that Abby always wanted a tower bedroom, she read about it in one of her books, and a dog. The home has two tower bedrooms to choose from, and plenty of room for a dog.  
“Shit.” Merlin says out loud in the silence. 

*

“No! No. Ingrid. I would pay for your relocation.” Merlin says desperately into the phone.  
“Mr. Stuart I couldn’t accept the money.” Ingrid says.  
“But Abby will still need ye when we move. I will be caught up in the renovations and it will be my new full time job. I will still need someone to get her to and from school and make sure she is doing her homework when I can’t be there to help.” Merlin says, well repeats really.  
“No,” Ingrid says, putting her foot down, “I’m sorry to leave you in the lurch Mr. Stuart. You know I love Abby very much. But my entire life is in London. I can’t just leave.”  
Merlin groans softly and pinches the bridge of his nose, “Then what should I do?”  
“Place an ad.”

*

“You,” Dean snarls in Eggsy’s face, “nearly brought down the whole operation. What good are ya if ya bring the fucking cops?”  
“That weren’t my fault!” Eggsy shouts.  
“Oh yeah? It weren’t you who got busted selling two weeks ago? It weren’t you that the cops decided to tail?” Dean asks  
“I only got busted cause Rotty jumped the fucking gun and literally threw me to them to make an escape.” Eggsy says  
Dean snorts and crosses his arms. He looks Eggsy up and down for a moment.  
“How old are you?”  
Eggsy blinks in confusion. That was a surprising turn in topic.   
“Twenty four?” he answers uncertainly.  
“Twenty four,” Dean repeats, “Twenty four and we’re still housing you and feeding you? Seems like if you ain’t gonna do the job right, it’s about time you started living on your own don’t ya think?”  
“What?” Eggsy asks  
“I want you out,” Dean announces, “By tomorrow night. I want you to take your shit and get lost.”  
“That’s not fair!” Eggsy starts to protest.  
“If you don’t get your free loading ass out of my house by tomorrow night I will call the police and have you arrested for trespassing. Then I’ll make sure you never see your mum or sister again. Do you understand?”

Eggsy’s heart is ringing in his ears. He can’t exactly disagree. Daisy is too important to him. Agreeing feels like defeat though.  
When he doesn’t protest again Dean nods, taking the silence as tacit agreement.  
By four the next afternoon his stuff is in boxes, piled high in Jamal’s living room. They’re sitting on the couch, sipping cheap beer while Eggsy tries not to let the world crash down around his ears.

“I don’t know what the fuck to do now.” he announces.  
“Apply to jobs like the rest of us mate,” Jamal responds, “You can stay for a while but eventually you’re gonna have to get your ass of my sofa.”  
Eggsy snorts, “Yeah but I ain’t got any marketable skills. Or are you forgetting I’ve been running for Dean since I dropped out of training?”  
“I didn’t say finding a job was easy man,” Jamal says, “I just said you needed to find one.”  
“You gonna let me use your laptop to job hunt?” Eggsy asks.  
Jamal shrugs and passes it over, “I bum my neighbor’s wifi anyway.”

Eggsy scrolls through the ads for what seems like hours. Most are jobs he could never apply to. When he became unqualified for even a job at fucking McDonalds, he doesn’t know.

He comes across a posting by a Hamish Stuart. A live-in nanny needed for a move to Scotland. Eggsy doesn’t know why, but he clicks apply.


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin reads through all the applications with increasing desperation. Abby had a very close connection to Ingrid, she almost became a replacement other. If Merlin can't find someone who can at least begin to fill Ingrid’s shoes, the move will be even more of a disaster than it already is. 

Abby went on what was essentially a hunger struck in protest. She did not want to leave behind her dance classes, or the stray cat that lives in the alley behind their building. For nearly two days she would eat a bite of whatever was presented to her and then refuse to eat anything else. Harry finally broke it by giving her the sour gummy candy Merlin usually refuses to let her eat. 

Since then she's been giving Merlin the silent treatment. How he produced a daughter who’s protests were instinctually rooted in civil disobedience, instead of tantrums, he doesn't know. He was a holy terror as a child. 

He clicks to the next application. A woman in her seventies, maybe that could work. Abby doesn't have a grandmother. 

Fifty years of childcare experience, looking for a fresh start after the passing of her husband. So far so good. 

Merlin scrolls to the questions he provided. Under disciplinary style she had written out a list. Depending on the infraction, it could range from just missing dessert at dinner, to missing dinner altogether, to spankings. 

No. No one is going to lay a finger on his daughter or starve her because of childhood precociousness. Next. 

A woman about the same age as Ingrid, already living in Scotland. It's looking good already. Only five years of childcare experience but that's okay. Discipline style focused on communication. Hallelujah.

Merlin sends off the email to bring her in for an interview.   
This process continues for hours. Nearly 80% of the candidates are rejected. He had no idea that spankings were still such a common disciplinary tactic. 

It's nearing midnight when he stumbles across the first man of the night. The provided picture shows a young man in his twenties. He has one of those smiles that crinkles up his whole face, and even in a quick selfie his eyes sparkle with mischief. 

Merlin isn't one for judging a book by its cover, but if it weren't for that photo he probably would not have stopped. His experience is two years of unofficial experience. In the further details section provided under experience he had written: secondary caregiver for little sister. 

That does not enthuse Merlin. People think because they have babysat a time or two, they are totally qualified to be a full time caregiver. And that included Amira. 

Under discipline the applicant had written: depends on what the kid does right? Is it actually bad or is it just bad for that moment?

Merlin can appreciate that attention to differentiation. Still, it's clear that this Gary Unwin hasn't actually had a chance to discipline any child. His sister must still be quite young.   
His eyes are drawn back to that photo though. That smile, those eyes. There's just something about that combination that gets him at least an interview. Merlin sends off the email. 

*

“Jamal! Have you seen my nice shirt?” Eggsy calls from the stack of boxes in the living room.   
“Bruv. Why the fuck would I know where your nice shirt is?” Jamal asks as he reenters the living room.   
“I don't know. Maybe you glanced at it when you walked by one time,” Eggsy answers, “I'm just trying not to scatter my shit all over your place.”  
Jamal sighs and grabs one of the boxes, “Its fine. Don't want you to miss your interview cause I'm being a prick.”

They dig through the boxes until Jamal comes up victorious with the one button up shirt that Eggsy owns. 

Eggsy quickly gets changed, pockets his phone, and practically sprints out of Jamal’s flat. If he wants any chance at all of getting this job he can't be late. He's already lacking experience and he's going to have to admit to his run-ins with the law. He can't be late on top of all of that. 

As he sits on the tube, he obsessively checks the email he received to confirm the appointment time. Despite having double checked it at least ten times before leaving. He's not sure why he expects it to change all of a sudden. 

The train pulls up to his stop and he hops off. He emerges from the underground. Then he pulls up google maps on his phone once again. He follows the blue line until he comes to the building. 

It's a nice place. All the flats have little balconies that jut out from the building. Eggsy thinks he might see a rooftop garden. It's much nicer than anything on his side of town.   
He presses the intercom. 

A voice crackles through, “Who is it?”  
“Eggsy-- I mean, Gary Unwin. Here for the nanny interview.” Eggsy answers. 

The intercom buzzes, the door unlocks, and Eggsy pulls it open. The inside of the building is dark and cool. Eggsy presses the elevator button at the end of the hall. As he enters, he smoothes out his hair and shirt in the reflective surfaces. He wants to put his best foot forward. 

The elevator chimes and Eggsy emerges into the hallway. He turns left and looks for the right unit. When the numbers start ticking down instead of up, Eggsy turns and heads the other way. He knows he has the right unit when a woman emerges, clutching what looks like a resume, and grumbling about a Scottish bastard and his strange daughter.   
Eggsy slips in the open door and finds himself in a tidy living room. He can hear voices in the kitchen but not what they're saying. 

The only other person sitting in the living room is a little girl of about ten. She has dark brown hair that's almost black, it's pulled up in two buns on top of her head. Her hazel eyes barely flicker up to meet him as he enters, she's too engrossed in her book. It's huge in her small light brown hands.   
“Are you Abby?” he asks

The little girl nods and still doesn't look up from her book. The dust jacket has been removed so Eggsy can't see what she's reading. He sits on the sofa to wait to be called in. 

After a few moments he turns to Abby again, “So what are you reading?” he asks.   
“A Wrinkle in Time.” Abby answers  
“Sick. I loved that book. I always felt like Meg,” Eggsy says and then frowns, “I coulda sworn it was smaller than that.”  
Abby finally looks up from the book, “It has all four books in one volume.” she explains  
“Nice. Who’s your favorite character?” Eggsy asks  
“Charles Wallace.” Abby answers  
“Yeah? Why’s that?” Eggsy asks  
Abby shrugs her little shoulders, “Everyone at school thinks he's weird because he understands the world better than them.”  
“Is that what school’s like for you?” Eggsy asks  
“Sometimes.” Abby answers  
“So in that case, does that mean you're excited to move to Scotland?” Eggsy asks  
Abby’s face screws up in a mighty scowl. She lets her book fall into her lap, and she shake her head, “No. I don't want to move.”

Eggsy grimaces. He didn't mean to stumble across a sore spot. He can feel his chances at job slipping away.   
“Is there a reason or is it just cause change sucks?” Eggsy asks  
“I don't want to leave my dance classes or Janet.” Abby answers  
“Who's Janet?”  
“The cat who lives in the alley.”   
“Why are you worried about leaving her behind?” Eggsy asks  
“I give her a bowl of milk every day at 4 o clock when I get home from school. And I give her a bowl of kibble every day at seven before I go to school! If I'm not here to feed her, who will?” Abby says, voice winding higher pitched in panic.   
“Woah,” Eggsy says softly, “Easy. If she's a stray she can probably take care of herself.”  
“No,” Abby says indignantly, “I read about it in a magazine! If you feed an animal enough times they forget how to hunt! That's why they can't release animals back into the wild sometimes!”  
“Have you tried talking to your dad about it,” Eggsy asks quickly, “Maybe he would let you take Janet with you.”  
“He won't listen.” Abby grumbles and sinks down in the arm chair.   
“You never know unless you ask. I'm sure he wants to make the move easier for you,” Eggsy points out, “And I know going to a new school and new dance classes is hard cause you don't know where you fit in but I think you'll figure it out.”  
Abby seems to consider that for a second, then she says, “But what if I'm the worst at dancing?”  
“You'll get better at it,” Eggsy responds, “No one stays the worst at something forever.”

There a soft cough from the doorway to the kitchen, and Eggsy turns. A man is standing there, and Eggsy can only assume it’s Mr. Stuart. 

He sees the family resemblance. Abby has Mr. Stuart’s eyes right down to the color. She has his nose too; slightly beaky. 

Eggsy stands up and smoothed out his trousers nervously. He just hopes he doesn't get his ass kicked to the curb for talking to Abby ahead of time. 

“Mr. Unwin?” Mr. Stuart asks.   
Eggsy nods nervously, “Yeah. That's me. I go by Eggsy though.”  
“Eggsy then. Come this way.” Mr. Stuart says and turns to march back into the kitchen.   
Eggsy offers a quick wink to Abby then hurries after Mr. Stuart into the kitchen. 

“Take a seat.” Mr. Stuart instructs and Eggsy hurriedly plops into the seat that's already been pulled out by the other applicants.   
“Sorry,” Eggsy says as Mr. Stuart takes his seat, “I mean, if it weren't cool for me to talk to Abby yet I'm sorry for overstepping. I just figured if I got considered for the job I should make sure she liked me.”  
“Don't worry about that. Ye did no harm,” Mr. Stuart says, “Considering she's spent the last week giving me the silent treatment I'm surprised she was willing to speak to you.”

Eggsy huffs out a sigh of relief.   
“Lets get started,” Mr. Stuart says, “On your resume ye stated ye were the secondary caregiver for your little sister. Why should I hire ye based on babysitting skill.”  
“Oh it ain't like that,” Eggsy says quickly. He doesn't take the question personally. Mr. Stuart is just trying to find a good fit, “Her dad, my stepdad, ain't the steadiest of blokes. So I take up the slack he should be covering. I make sure she's got enough nappies in stock, get up if she cries and mum’s already been up five times to calm her down, watch her if mum needs a break or gets pulled away. Stuff like that.”  
“So ye stepped up as a father?” Mr. Stuart asks. Call Eggsy crazy but he thinks the bloke looks impressed.   
“Kinda. I don't think I'd end up really raising her as my own but I definitely helped take the load off mum’s shoulders.” Eggsy answers.   
“I see,” Mr. Stuart says, “in that case how is it ye can leave and move all the way to northern Scotland?”

Eggsy’s stomach drops. He was dreading this.   
“My stepdad and I don't really get along. He kicked me out recently and I need a job so that I don't drive my mate Jamal nuts by crashing on his couch until I save up enough money from McDonalds to move out.” he explains. He leaves out the part about Dean’s threat and the years of getting smacked around.   
Mr. Stuart marks something down then looks up at Eggsy again, “On your application ye said discipline depends on whether the child actually did something bad. Can ye expand on that?”  
“I mean I figure kids don't do actual bad sh-- stuff very often yeah? They might just do something that's not appropriate for the situation. Say a kid hit another kid? You gotta figure out why before you set about teaching ‘em right from wrong,” Eggsy answers, “If the kid hit the other kid for no reason, then you gotta make ‘em apologize and maybe take away privileges. If the kid hit the other because they disagreed about something then you make ‘em apologize and you have a discussion about not hitting just because you're frustrated. If the kid hit the other kid because the other kid did something like snapping a bra strap, or threatening a friend. Then you explain that it was brave of them to stand up for themselves and others. But next time get an adult who can handle the situation better. I ain't a dad though so I could be all wrong. It'll be trial and error until I figure out what works for Abby.”

Mr. Stuart makes a face that's hard to read but he doesn't seem disappointed.   
“So ye wouldn't spank Abby?” he asks  
“God no,” Eggsy says reflexively, “I mean. I don't feel comfortable laying into a kid like that.”  
“Neither do I,” Mr. Stuart says with a small smile, “Is there anything I should know about ye before we continue?”

Eggsy’s stomach twists again, “I've had a few run-ins with the law. Ain't anything violent. Mostly just a lost kid with bad influences. I wouldn't put Abby in danger or anything but you should probably know.”  
“Would ye be willing to submit to a background check so I can verify your story?” Mr. Stuart asks.   
“Yeah. Of course. No problem.” Eggsy says quickly. 

Mr. Stuart seems pleased by that as well. Then they move on to discussing salary, and housing, and other requests. Eggsy has no clue how well he did by the time he leaves. He hopes it went well. Abby is sweet and while Mr. Stuart is a little intense with the eyes, nose, and bald head combination, he's a nice enough guy as well. Eggsy would be happy to work for them. 

*

Merlin watches from the kitchen doorway as Mr. Unwin talks to Abby. He's kind, reasonable, and handles Abby’s rising frustration with surprising aplomb. Abby seems to like him too. 

He is a little worried when the troubles with the law come to light, but he's quickly comforted by Eggsy’s apparent eagerness to be open. 

He ushers the last applicant out the door with a sigh. Then he closes the door behind himself and locks it. He sags against the wood for a few seconds. Abby watches him from the living room. 

“So,” Merlin says, “Pizza for dinner?”  
Abby nods silently.   
Merlin sighs and drags a hand over his face and head, “Ye know ye can't freeze me out forever, mo laochain”  
Abby places her bookmark in her book and closes it, “Can we take Janet with us?”  
“She isn't ours, Abby.” Merlin reminds her.   
Abby starts to scowl again, “But she is! We’re the only ones who take care of her!”  
Merlin sighs again and nods, “I'll make ye a deal. If ye put up found cat posters around town, and no one comes to claim her by the time we leave, then yes. We can take Janet with us.”

Abby smiles and hops down from the armchair. She rushes over and gives Merlin a hug. He ruffles her hair then sends her off to wash up while he orders pizza.   
They plow into the pizza when it arrives. Abby leaves her crusts behind as she always does. 

“So. Did ye like any of the people who came today?” Merlin asks  
“Yeah.” Abby answers.   
“Who was it?” Merlin asks, trying to get her talking.   
“Eggsy.” She answers. Of course. Abby loves the candidate that is the least qualified.   
“Why’s that?” Merlin asks  
“He didn't talk to me like I'm a silly little kid,” Abby answers, “And he likes A Wrinkle in Time.”  
“I suppose those are as good reasons as any.” Merlin responds. He’ll have to ask Harry for his opinion. 

*

Eggsy’s phone vibrates loudly on Jamal’s coffee table. He groans softly, dragging himself awake. Then he grabs the phone and puts it to his ear.   
“Hello?” He asks groggily.   
“Eggsy? This is Hamish Stuart.” Mr. Stuart’s voice echoes across the phone line. 

Eggsy sits bolt upright, finally alert, “Yeah. Hi! How are you how can I help you?”  
“Well I'm calling to offer ye the job as Abby’s nanny. She liked ye best and who am I to argue with her when she's the one who's going to spend time with ye all day?” Mr. Stuart explains.   
“Oh my god. Really?” Eggsy asks  
“Yes. As long as ye are still interested.” Mr. Stuart says.   
“Absolutely. Definitely still interested. When do you need me to go with you guys to Scotland?” Eggsy asks. 

Jamal emerges from his bedroom and throws a pillow at Eggsy’s head for waking him up at this early an hour. Eggsy waves him off and mouths ‘I got the job’. 

On the phone, Mr. Stuart answers, “We are headed up in two weeks. After that it'll be about a week while we settle in. Ye can either come up with us at the end of the two weeks or during the week we settle in if ye need more time.”  
“I'll join you in two weeks then. Thank you so much.” Eggsy says  
“See you in two weeks.” Mr. Stuart agrees and hangs up. 

Eggsy sets his phone back on the coffee table and looks over at Jamal, “I'll be out of your hair in two weeks mate.”  
“Pub tonight to celebrate?” Jamal asks  
“Pub tonight to celebrate.” Eggsy agrees. 

He sits back on the couch as Jamal goes back to bed. He grins making a list of things that are still at his mum’s that he’ll want when he moves to Scotland. Really though he's still in shock. He can't believe he's moving to a Scottish castle. Tell him that a few years ago and he would've called you mad.   
He's moving to a god damn Scottish castle.


	3. Chapter 3

“And you're sure I can return the truck to the branch up in Scotland?” Eggsy asks for probably the thousandth time.   
The woman at the front desk purses her lips, “Yes sir. As I said before we have a branch just south of Aberdeenshire. You can return the truck there once you no longer have use of it. Now will you be signing the rental agreement?”  
“Sorry,” Eggsy says sheepishly, “I just can't afford the extra charges if I have to drive it all the way back down here. I'll sign.”

He signs at the bottom of the agreement and the woman passes him the keys. He finds the truck and slides behind the steering wheel. It feels strange to be sitting behind the wheel of vehicle that he isn't stealing. He hopes Scotland can be his fresh start without Dean to harass him into doing stupid shit. 

He adjusts the seat and mirrors, then turns the key in the ignition. The truck rumbles to life and Eggsy eases it out of the lot. Damn London traffic. 

He has to circle the streets around Jamal’s flat at least five times before he can finally wedge himself into a spot. 

He pockets the keys and runs up to Jamal’s flat. Ryan is already there waiting.   
“Thanks for doing this bruv.” Eggsy says as Ryan picks up a few boxes.   
“Ain't a problem,” Ryan says easily, “How come Jamal ain’t here?”  
“He's coming in a bit. He had work. Should be here in time to load the last of it.” Eggsy explains. 

He has more boxes than he expected. When he started cleaning out his room he kept stumbling across shit he didn't want to leave behind. He knows Dean is gonna try to burn or sell whatever is left. 

Jamal shows up in time to load the last two boxes into the back of the truck. Eggsy presses the tailgate closed and locks the waterproof cover in place. Scotland is wet and the last thing he wants is for his shit to get ruined.   
He turns back to Ryan and Jamal with a shrug, “Guess I'm off.”

Ryan pulls him for a quick hug and a slap on the back. He steps back and tries to play off wiping his eyes as allergies. Jamal gives him a squeeze too, then hands over a lunchbox. 

“Got Margaret from that sandwich shop you like to make you the prosciutto thing you like.” he explains. 

Eggsy grins and sets the lunchbox on the passenger side seat. Then turns back to his best friends in the entire world.   
“Don't know what I'm gonna do without you fuckers.” Eggsy says, feeling a little helpless.   
“You'll figure it out,” Ryan says, “Besides with you gone we’re gonna clean up with the birds.”  
“Love you too.” Eggsy says with a roll of his eyes. 

Jamal gives him one last slap on the shoulder then Eggsy hoists himself back into the driver seat of the truck. The ignition turns over and he peels away. There's one last stop he has to make before he leaves behind his city for good. 

His mum is tearful as she hugs him. She pats his cheek and takes a breath to steady herself, “Stay out of trouble young man.”  
“Yeah mum. I'll try,” he promises as he kisses her cheek, “If you need me just call yeah? Maybe I can save up enough to move you and Daisy out after a while.”  
“Don't you worry about me sweetheart. I know you and Dean never really got along but I think some distance between you two will be good for all of us. He's already been calmer since I told him you were going.” she reassures him. 

That doesn't make him feel any better. Still he gives her a smile because he doesn't want their last moments together to end on a sour note. He walks to Daisy’s playpen and drops a kiss on her little head. 

His heart clenches as he stands up. For a moment he's not sure he can leave her behind. He's about to pull his phone out of his pocket and call Mr. Stuart to quit, but changes his mind. It wouldn't be fair to leave him in the lurch. 

“Got everything?” his mum asks.   
“Yeah mum. I'm good.” Eggsy promises  
“Got your dad’s medal?” She asks anxiously, not ready to let him go yet.   
“Yeah mum. Wearing it like always.” 

She nods, looking around the room for an excuse to keep him longer. Finally she gives up and pulls him in for another hug. She kisses his cheek and Eggsy heads back out to the truck. 

He leaves the only home he's ever known.

It's a 13 hour drive from London to Aberdeenshire. Eggsy drives six hours the first night, Spotify playlist blasting in the cab of the pick up truck. He specifically loaded the playlist with songs that give you no choice but to sing along because they're so catchy. Even still by the time the six hours are up he's barely able to drag himself into the grungy motel room he booked. 

He wonders how the Stuarts are doing. He's sure Abby has long since gotten squirrelly, and Janet can't be happy in her cat carrier. At least Mr. Stuart isn't likely to fall asleep at the wheel with a yowling cat and a restless eight year old. 

Eggsy showers and hopes he has better water pressure in Scotland. He's not sure how a historic castle is wired. He has visions of having to pump water from a well like when the castle was first built. 

The sheets on the bed are scratchy. Between that and the foxes mating right out in the parking lot, Eggsy doesn't get a lot of sleep. He downs three cups of coffee in one sitting the next morning and pours a cup to go. 

He hoists himself back into his truck after checking out. Then drives off again, blasting ABBA at full volume in an attempt to stay awake. 

The further up the coast he drives, the more he realizes just how beautiful the north is. All around him fields stretch kilometers around. Some of them are dotted with grazing sheep or cows. Some are nothing but tall green grass. Every now and then he'll crest the top of a hill and the sparkle of the ocean will catch his eye. It's a wild contrast to the grey hardness of London. 

He stops around noon to fill the gas tank and take a piss. An old woman mans the register of the rinky dink petrol station he finds. She's just delighted to have visitors on her stretch of lonely road. She's even more delighted when Eggsy explains that he's moving to Scotland. She eagerly weighs him down with pastries her grandson made to go along with his purchase of petrol and a bag of crisps. 

Eggsy climbs in the truck again. 

The further north he goes the less trees he sees. He didn't notice it at first but with how far north he is, he notices now. Everywhere he looks are bushes and shrubs and kilometers of grass, but almost no trees. Most seem to be planted to mark a property divide. 

Rather than feeling freed by all this open space he feels trapped. In London he could practically fly. Leaping from building to building without his feet once touching the ground was what made him feel alive. But now that he's moving to a little coastal village, he realizes that that sense of freedom will be unreachable. Maybe he should have thought about it more carefully before he agreed to leave everything behind.   
He takes a few deep breaths to calm down. He's been driving for way too long. Mr. Stuart is lovely and Abby is a great kid. He's not going to feel the need to run free when he doesn't have Dean breathing down his neck. 

A few hours later Eggsy pulls into the driveway of the manor house. 

The Stuarts have clearly pulled in just ahead of him. Abby is staggering around with Janet still in her carrier, and a backpack dangling off her shoulders. Mr. Stuart has unloaded their suitcases. 

Eggsy parks and hops out of the truck. Abby grins wide when she sees him, sets down Janet, then runs over to him. “Eggsy! You came!”  
Eggsy laughs and ruffles her hair, “Course I did. I'm supposed to be looking after you.”  
Abby gives him a quick hug then runs back and picks up Janet again.   
She looks up at her dad, “Can I go pick my room?”  
“Of course sweetheart. Why don't ye leave Janet at the bottom of the stairs so she doesn't get out while we’re moving boxes?” Mr. Stuart says. 

Abby heads insides and leaves Janet where she was told. Mr. Stuart hauls the two suitcases inside as Eggsy unloads his duffle and first few boxes. 

“Eggsy would ye mind helping me unload the mattresses?” Mr. Stuart asks from the moving truck.   
“Yeah Mr. Stuart! Gimme a sec!” Eggsy calls and sets all his shit down. 

He darts back outside and hops up into the truck.   
“Merlin.” Mr. Stuart says as they lift Abby’s mattress.   
“What?” Eggsy asks, taking a few steps back.   
“Call me Merlin. Everyone does and frankly being called Mr. Stuart makes me feel old,” Merlin explains, “I tried to tell Ingrid, Abby’s last nanny, but I guess she felt too disrespectful using it.”  
“Aight guv. I can call you Merlin,” Eggsy says with a shrug, “I get it. Being called Gary makes me wanna die.”

He hops down from the truck and lifts the end of the mattress again. Merlin follows him down. They carry the mattress into the sitting room area and set it down. They do the same with Merlin’s mattress. 

As they unload it, Abby appears in the window of one of the towers. “Daddy,” she calls down, “There's a tower just like in Sadie vs the Goblin King!”  
“I thought ye might like it! Why don't ye come back down and start unloading some of your boxes? Carry them up to your room?” Merlin suggests.   
“Coming!” Abby calls back and a minute later she appears outside and starts carrying her boxes to her room. 

Eggsy helps Merlin unload all of his boxes. It's slow going and there's still furniture inside that won't get unloaded until tomorrow. To be fair, Merlin was packing up a whole home. Eggsy was just packing up a bedroom. 

Merlin helps unload all of Eggsy’s boxes as well. Eggsy wipes his hands off on his jeans. 

“I'm gonna go find a room. Unless you called dibs on one?”  
Merlin waves his hand dismissively, out of breath from hauling boxes, “Choose away. My room has a chalk mark on the door.”

Eggsy jogs up the stairs and pokes his head into various rooms. He passes over the one with the chalk slash on the door. 

He turns a corner and comes across a small set of steps. He follows them up and comes to a door. He presses it open. The room is a little bigger than his one back at the estates, the window is intact unlike many of the others he's seen and it looks out over a pond. The room is perfect. 

They spend the rest of the day moving boxes into their appropriate rooms. Eggsy helps move mattresses again. When he helps carry Abby’s to her room, he feels like he's going to die. So many damn stairs. 

Eggsy hauls his own shit mattress into his room. He unpacks one of his boxes. His phone charger, a few photos. He sets the photos out on one of the other boxes. 

There's a knock at the door and Merlin pokes his head inside, “We’re ordering Pizza. What toppings would ye like?”  
“I'm not picky. Just no pineapple or anchovies.” Eggsy answers  
“Understood,” Merlin says and starts to leave but something catches his eye, “Is that you in your uniform?”  
Eggsy glances to where Merlin is looking.   
“Uh… no. It's my dad actually,” he explains, “How'd you know about my marines training?”  
“It came out in the background check,” Merlin says easily, “Do ye see your dad often?”  
Eggsy grimaces and awkwardly rubs the back of his neck, “He died when I was a kid.”  
“Well,” Merlin says stiffly, “It seems I have a case of chronic foot in mouth.”  
Eggsy shrugs, “Ain't a big deal. You couldn't know.”  
“Still it's on me for poking,” Merlin says, “I'll text ye when the pizza comes.”

They end up eating olive and bacon pizza over the trashcan while Janet explores her new home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update folks! I went back to school in August and it’s been hell trying to balance school and work. But I’m back at it! Hope you enjoy.

Eggsy jogs down the stairs to the kitchen area of the house. Each step causes a groan to echo out of the old wood. 

When he enters the kitchen Abby is sitting at the small kitchen table, munching on leftover pizza from the night before. She offers him a smile and shoves the pizza box towards him. Eggsy picks up one of the pieces and takes a bite. 

“Where’s your dad?” He asks   
“He was on the phone with Uncle Harry not that long ago. Then I think he was on the phone talking to the… uh…” Abby says and scrunched up her nose a little as she tries to remember what her dad just said, “the ark tech?”  
“Architect?” Eggsy suggests  
“Yeah! Architect. He’s coming today to help with plans to make this place pretty again.” Abby explains  
“Makes sense,” Eggsy says, picks up a notepad from the seat, and sits down on the seat across from her, “Is there something you want to do today? I could help you unpack stuff or something.”  
Abby shrugs, “I like the boxes in my room. I have a book nest.”  
Eggsy doesn’t have anything to say to that so he just continues to chew through his slice of cold pizza. Janet jumps up on the table while they’re eating and lets out a loud, complaining meow.   
“She’s probably hungry.” Abby explains as Janet takes a sniff of Eggsy’s pizza slice. 

Abby hops up from her chair and shifts some boxes around until she finds the one labeled “Cat stuff” in Merlin’s handwriting. She digs out the bowl and a can of wet cat food. Upon hearing the pop of the can opening, Janet abandons her investigation of Eggsy’s pizza. She wraps herself around Abby’s ankles like she’s trying to say thank you then tucks into her own breakfast. 

Merlin appears in the doorway of the kitchen shortly after, shoving his phone into his pocket. 

“Morning Eggsy.” He greets and takes a slice of pizza as well. He drops a kiss on Abby’s head as she returns to the table.   
“We’re out of cat food.” Abby announces.   
“Alright.” Merlin says and drags over the notepad Eggsy moved earlier. He scribbles down cat food on the list.   
“I started a grocery list last night,” Merlin explains, “We can’t live on pizza forever and delivery costs a fortune since we’re in the middle of nowhere. I already put down the basics that Abby and I like. Ye are more than free to add to it.”  
“Thanks. I ain’t picky though. I’ll probably eat whatever you lot like.” Eggsy says quickly.   
“Still. The option is there,” Merlin says, “Would ye mind running into town to pick these things up? I would go but I have to wait for the architect.”   
“Course not,” Eggsy answers and glances over to Abby, “Want to come with me? Maybe we can find a bookstore or something you can take a look in.”  
“Yeah. I wanna go.” Abby says immediately.   
“There we go then. Would ye mind helping me haul in the fridge? They delivered it this morning but claimed they weren’t told about the steps so they just left it in the front.” Merlin asks  
Eggsy frowns a little, “Uh… do we got the electrical for a fridge in this place?”  
Merlin snorts, “Yes. I had people rewiring and re-plumbing the entire thing before we came up. No need to worry.”  
“How long were you looking for a nanny?” Eggsy asks, wondering what a massive project wiring and plumbing a place this huge would be.   
“About two weeks.” Merlin answers  
“So it took them, what, a month to do the work?” Eggsy asks  
“Roughly. Most older home take ten days to rewire. This one took longer due to the size. I’m just relieved that primitive electricity and plumbing was installed before it was abandoned. Made life easier.” Merlin explains. 

*

After much swearing, sweating, and utilizing planks of wood not designed for it, Merlin and Eggsy manage to wheel the fridge into the kitchen on their dolly. 

They leave the furniture for later. The moving company isn’t open on sundays anyway so they have another day to unpack. Merlin passes Eggsy the grocery list, and his credit card. Then he goes to scrub up before meeting with historical architect. 

Eggsy and Abby pile into the pick up truck. Even following the gps directions Eggsy almost gets lost on the way into town. He’s not used to driving miles and miles. He’s used to London where he drives like a mad man and whips around corners at high speeds. 

Eggsy finds a parking spot and he and Abby pile back out of the car. The town is a weird mix of historical and 1950s architecture. 

There’s a tiny second hand book shop and Abby drags Eggsy inside so she can look around. After half an hour Abby has picked out a stack of about five children’s books.   
The kindly old man at the counter smiles at her. She has enough thick books that it stacks almost as high as her forehead. 

“Oh this is a good one,” he says as he scans the barcode, “ye should come back when ye finish reading it so ye can talk to me about it.”  
Abby glances up at Eggsy, “Do you think that’d be okay?”  
“We’ll ask your dad when we get back yeah?” Eggsy answers. 

He helps Abby pack the books into her backpack as the man at the checkout runs Merlin’s card. Abby goes skipping out of the book store like she’s light as a feather, and not like she’s weighed down by a bag of books. 

They continue on down the road and the next stop is the grocery store. Eggsy lets Abby climb inside the cart and read as they walk through the aisles of Tesco.   
Eggsy comes to a stop in front of the pasta. Who knew there were so many different brands and types. He was used to elbow macaroni from the prepackaged stuff. 

“Oi. Abby.” He says  
Abby drags her eyes away from the book, slightly crossed eyed. She blinks a few times.   
“Yeah?” she asks  
“When your dad says pasta, what kind does he mean?”   
Abby looks at the shelves for a while. Then looks back to Eggsy.   
“What other ingredients are on the list?”  
Eggsy just passes her the list.   
“Uh… I think that one.” Abby answers and points at the right packaging.   
Eggsy just shrugs and tosses it into the cart, “Guess if it ain’t the right one I can figure out something to do with it.”  
“I can look up recipes.” Abby volunteers  
Eggsy starts pushing the cart again, “You into cooking?”  
“Not really.”  
Eggsy snorts a little, “Then why’d you offer to look up a recipe?”  
Abby’s shrugs, “I like to look things up.”  
“You know what? Fair enough.”

Abby smiles and buries her nose in the book she was reading. 

They wind their way through the market. Occasionally Eggsy will pause to ask Abby which thing to buy. She’ll emerge from her book long enough to answer then bury her nose in it again. They seem to find a rhythm that works for them. It’s nice.   
Abby hops out of the cart when they get to the car and helps packs groceries into the trunk. 

“Alright. All we got left to do is to head to the pet store. We need to pick up cat food and litter for Janet.” Eggsy says  
“Could we get her treats too?” Abby asks  
“Sure. Don’t see why not.” Eggsy answers

Abby lets out an excited cheer. They head for the pet store.   
The pass a playground on their way there. It’s practically right outside the windows of the store. 

“Can I stay out here and read my book?” Abby asks hopefully.   
“Uh… I don’t know. Do you think your dad’d be okay with that?” Eggsy asks uncertainty.   
“I mean he lets me go to the park by our flat.” Abby answers  
“Alright. I guess since it’s right outside it ain’t a big deal. Go for it.”

Abby grins and gives Eggsy a hug then runs over and settles on one of the swings. She cracks open her book and buries her nose into it again. 

Eggsy heads into the pet shop. He stares blankly at the cat food. He has no idea where to look. Purple, blue, and orange bags stretch for the length of the aisle. Each one is some variation of salmon or turkey. Then there’s formula after formula; Senior, healthy weight, allergy prone. 

Eventually someone who works the floor finds him. 

“Can I help you find what you’re looking for?” she offers.   
“I’m looking for cat food for my boss’s cat. I don’t got a clue what to get though.” Eggsy answers.   
“Okay. Well what kind of cat is it?”  
“A tabby I think.”  
“Alright. Well the good thing is that Tabbies don’t have any specific health problems so ye don’t have to worry about buying non-allergenic food. How old is it?” she asks.   
“I honestly got no idea. She hasn’t turned grey yet?” Eggsy answers  
“Then she’s probably not a senior then. So no need for senior formula. I would suggest this,” She says and drops one of the orange bags into his arms, “If possible leave kibble out during the day. Self feeders usually do better as far as weight. Then I’d suggest giving her some wet food twice a day. Essentially split a can of wet food in half.”  
“Great. Now I just need litter.” Eggsy says

He gets loaded down with a bag of kitty litter too. 

He also somehow gets wrangled into buying a cat harness and leash. At least it should make Abby happy. 

He heads out with his purchases and finds Abby swinging with another girl around her same age. 

He sets the bags on the curb then walks over. 

“Hey Abby.”   
“Eggsy!” Abby yells and jumps off the swing, “This is Diana.”  
“Nice to meet you Diana.” Eggsy says and shakes the other little girl’s hand.   
“She goes to my school.” Abby announces  
“Oh cool. So you got a friend.” Eggsy says and Abby nods proudly.   
“Are you Abby’s dad?” Diana asks, clearly confused by Eggsy being so young.   
“Nah. I’m her nanny.” Eggsy explains.   
“Oh. Okay,” Diana says then asks, “Can Abby come over to play?”  
“Um. Maybe not today yeah? I don’t think Abby’s dad is gonna be happy if I let her go to a house where he’s never met the parents.” Eggsy explains.   
Diana slumps a little, “Please?”  
“Another time.” Eggsy promises.   
Diana suddenly straightens up and points behind Eggsy, “But my dad is here! So now you can meet him and tell Abby’s dad it’s okay.”

Diana takes off running across the playground and drags back an older man. He’s probably around Merlin’s age. He has thick dark hair, and when he smiles his eyes crinkle. 

“Hi. I’m Diana’s dad, Hugh.” He introduces himself and Eggsy startles a little at the accent. Australian? In Scotland?  
“Eggsy. I’m Abby’s nanny.” Eggsy says and shakes Hugh’s hand.   
“I’m guessing you’re new here then.” Hugh says.   
“Yeah. How’d you know?” Eggsy asks  
“I’m pretty involved at Diana’s school so I would’ve remembered seeing you and Abby around.”   
“Right. Make sense. We just moved into that abandoned castle thing. Abby’s dad is working to restore it.” Eggsy explains. Why is he adding unnecessary detail?  
“Your dad’s a historian?” Hugh asks Abby.   
“No. He works with computers.” Abby answers.   
Hugh smiles at her then looks back at Eggsy, “We gotta go. More errands to run. It was good to meet you and let me know if you need help moving.”  
“I will for sure.” Eggsy says hastily. 

Hugh gives him one last smile, then he and Diana take off. Eggsy feels like his heart has left his chest. 

“Eggsy. Are you okay?” Abby asks  
It takes Eggsy a second to register that she asked him something, “Sorry. What?”  
“I asked if you were okay,” Abby says while giving him a weird look, “You were staring at Diana’s dad funny.”  
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. Let’s get home.”

*

“So how was your day?” Merlin asks as he chops vegetables for dinner.   
“Eggsy and I made friends.” Abby announces proudly.   
“Really?” Merlin asks and glances at Eggsy for confirmation. For some reason the lad goes faintly pink around the ears.   
“Abby met a girl about her age at the playground today while I got the cat food. Her name is Diana. They’re going to be in the same class. I met her dad Hugh.”  
“Diana is so cool. I mean she didn’t know about Sadie vs The Goblin King, or Alien Earth. But she was really nice and asked if she could borrow them to read! We were hoping to get to play but Eggsy said you wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that until you met Diana’s dad too.” Abby says, her sentence getting more breathless and high pitched as it goes as she tries to say it all in one breath.   
“Thank ye Eggsy. Ye were right.” Merlin says and Eggsy nods.   
“He didn’t seem sketchy at all but still better safe than sorry yeah?”   
“Exactly. Did he give you contact information?” Merlin asks  
“Nah. I was flustered and forgot to grab it. He said he was pretty active at the school though so I’ll probably see him when I start taking Abby to school next week. He offered to help us move in.” Eggsy explains  
“Well next time ye see him feel free to invite him and Diana over. Kill two birds with one stone.” Merlin says and wonders why Eggsy turns an even deeper shade of pink than before.


	5. Chapter 5

“Okay. First day at a new school. Are ye good to go?” Merlin asks and tugs at Abby’s hoody in a vain attempt to get it to straighten out.  
Abby bats get dad’s hands away, “Dad I’m fine! Diana said she would meet me!”  
“Right. Do ye have your lunch? I packed ye a lunch right?” Merlin’s head whips around the kitchen, looking for the bright green lunch box Abby always carries.   
“Yes you packed me a lunch!” Abby throws her hand up so her lunch box dangles in front of her Dad’s face.   
“Merlin. We’ll be fine. I just gotta check her in at the office and she’ll head to class with Diana.” Eggsy says and rests a hand on Merlin’s shoulder.   
Merlin nods, presses a kiss to Abby’s head, and stands up, “You have the emergency number.”  
“Daaaaad.” Abby whines. Eggsy stifles a snort. Abby has this amazing ability to whine with her entire body, she leans all the way forward onto her tiptoes and her chin tilts skyward.   
“Okay. Alright. Go. I’ll see you when you get home.” 

Abby grins and wraps her arms around Merlin’s waist in a tight hug. She grabs Eggsy’s hand and drags him out to the car. Eggsy shoots one last wave to Merlin over his shoulder. 

*

“I’m checking in Abby Stuart. It’s her first day.” Eggsy explains to the office secretary.   
The woman looks over the top of her glasses at him, like he just said something exceedingly stupid. Next to him he can feel Abby fidget with her zipper.   
“Ye don’t sound like the father we talked to on the phone,” she drawls, “He was Scottish.”  
“No. Yeah. I get that. I’m her nanny.”

The secretary leans down and yanks open a file drawer, leafing through the heavy Manila folders until she finds Abby’s. She sets it down with a plop on the yellow Formica of her desk and shuffles through the paperwork until she finds the page she was looking for. 

“We were told to expect an Ingrid Bergman.” she announces  
“That was my old nanny in London,” Abby pipes up helpfully. She rests her elbows on the counter, lunch bag dangling from her wrist. At this angle her chin is almost resting on the counter too, “She couldn’t come with us so my daddy hired Eggsy instead.”  
“I see,” the Secretary turns her dismissive gaze on Abby next, “And why wouldn’t your father remember to update that information?”  
“Oh my god,” Abby flings her hands into the air and staggers away from the counter while maintaining eye contact with the air just above the secretary’s head, “Because he can’t remember anything unless he writes it down. He remembers to pack my lunch because he’s been doing it since I was six. But that’s it! I just want to go to class and learn!”

Eggsy quickly places his hand on Abby’s shoulder to quiet her down but her whole body is practically vibrating with frustration. 

“Look. Just let me call Mr. Stuart alright? He’ll confirm what we said and we can get Abby to class. This ain’t a big deal yeah?”

The secretary has drawn herself to such a height that it looks like somebody draped an old leather jacket on the tip of a broom handle. Eggsy isn’t sure he’s ever seen lips pursed so tight that they change color. 

“Fine.” She spits and shoves the phone over to him.   
Eggsy picks up the receiver, hits the speakerphone button, and dials Merlin’s number.   
“Ye’ve reached Hamish Stuart.” Merlin answers after a few rings.   
Eggsy says with relief, “Hey Merlin. It’s Eggsy. We got a problem.”  
“Abby? Is everything okay? Did she get hurt?”   
“No no nono no. Everything with Abby is fine guv. I promise. They just aren’t letting me check her in. Ingrid is still listed as the nanny.”  
“Oh for!” Merlin’s voice spikes across the line loud and annoyed, “This is Hamish Stuart. Abby Stuart is my daughter. I hereby give one, Gary “Eggsy” Unwin, permission to check my daughter in for her first day of school. I will be by to change the paperwork at some point this week.”  
“That will do then.” The Secretary responds through the tiniest pinched o her mouth could make. 

Merlin hangs up and the secretary passes over the first day paperwork. Eggsy fills it in and shoves the clipboard back. He and Abby walk back out to the playground and Abby spots Diana. The girls let out an excited squeal upon seeing each other and sprint across the grass, colliding in the middle with a huge hug. 

“It’s good to see you Eggsy.” a voice says from behind and Eggsy prides himself on only jumping a little.   
“Hugh! It’s good to see you too bruv!” 

_Am I shouting? Why am I shouting?_

“Any problems checking Abby in today?” Hugh asks with that same genial smile that crinkles his eyes.   
“Why’d you ask?”   
“You look like you wrestled with Ms. Beakmen. When Diana first started here my ex forgot to include me as a guardian. I almost had to bring in Diana’s birth certificate to convince her I wasn’t trying to kidnap her.”   
“No shit?”  
“No shit,” Hugh laughs and it makes Eggsy stomach do strange things, “That Woman was never made to deal with overworked parents. I swear she sometimes thinks it’s still 1950 and no one is divorced or has alternate family arrangements.”  
“Abby’s old nanny was still listed. Merlin’s a good guy but things slip through the crack sometimes. He’s got inventor brain and all that.”  
“Merlin?”  
“Oh. Uh Abby’s dad. I called him Mr. Stuart for a while but he said it made him feel old so I stopped.” Eggsy explains   
“Suppose I could understand that. If you started calling me Mr. Logan I’d feel old as dirt.”  
“Hugh Logan?” Eggsy scrunches up his face a bit.   
“Don’t mock. My parents were bad at naming things. We had ferret named David until I was nine.”  
“Abby named her cat Janet. If that makes you feel better.”   
“It does a little,” Hugh admits with a soft chuckle. His phone starts ringing and he immediately digs it out of his pocket, “It’s work. I have to take this. Before I go do you think I could get your number? It looks like the girls are going to be joined at the hip and it’ll be easier to make plans if I don’t have to hope to run into you every morning.”  
“Of course! Yeah,” Eggsy pats his pockets. _I don’t have a pen. I never have a pen,_ “Um here. I don’t got a pen so just put your number in my phone and I’ll text you.”  
Hugh types his number in and passed the phone back to Eggsy, “See you around.”

*

Abby piles into the car and slumps back against the seat with an audible thud.   
“Was it that bad after I left?” Eggsy asks, glancing at her in the mirror.   
“No. Diana is nice. It’s just boring.” Abby answers, turning her head to stare out the window.   
“Pretty sure school’s boring until uni when you get to study what you want.”  
“Not regular school boring. I mean I did everything they’re doing now already. I did it the second half of last year when I was in London. I already know it.” a bit of whine creeps into her voice.   
“I’m sorry. At least it’s a chance to review? And you’re in a class with Diana?”

Abby shrugs and goes quiet for the rest of the car ride home. 

*

Abby hops from the car and runs for the house. Eggsy follows behind her at a more sedate pace, making sure that the door is closed and locked behind him before he heads inside. He wonders if he should tell Merlin about what Abby said, or if Abby already tells her dad everything.

Merlin is squeezing Abby tight by the time Eggsy gets inside.

“Ohhhh how was school?” Merlin asks voice muffled by Abby’s shoulder.  
“It was alright. Diana is still really nice. We got to play pretend at recess,” Abby answers as Merlin sets her down, “I’m ahead of everyone in math for once.”

Abby drags her backpack into the kitchen and pokes her head into the fridge to look for a snack.

“Are ye sure? Ingrid told me you were having trouble with your math facts.” Merlin asks and hands Abby a sandwich he’d prepared for her.  
“Just the new math facts. All of these are old math facts.” Abby announces as she takes a huge bite of her sandwich.  
“Okay. Let me know if ye need help.” Merlin says and sits next to her at the table.  
“When am I gonna get signed up for dance class? Diana says she’s taking classes.”  
“I was just looking around for one, but I suppose we can sign ye up for Diana’s class. Do ye think ye can remember to ask her which one it is tomorrow?”  
“Oh!” Eggsy digs his phone out of his pocket, “I can just text Hugh.”  
“Who’s Hugh?” Merlin asks  
“It’s Diana’s dad. I ran into him again this morning and he gave me his number.”

Eggsy: Hey Hugh. Abby’s been wanting to sign up for dance. Which one does Diana go to?  
 _Hugh: The Rogers’ School of Dance and Talent._   
_Hugh: It’s the only one except Esri Ballet but the instructor there has a record of being insane._  
 _Eggsy: good looking out._

Eggsy looks up from his phone, “The Rogers’ School of Dance and Talent. That’s the one Diana is in.”  
“Excellent. Let me grab my computer and we’ll get you signed up,” Merlin runs up to his office, “Any idea which class Diana is in? We can try to sign her up for that class.”  
“No idea. I didn’t ask. Hang on.”

_Eggsy: Which class is Diana in? Abby wants to sign up for the same class._   
_Hugh: She does ballet and contemporary. The instructor will want to place Abby herself though._   
_Eggsy: Yikes. What’s that mean?_   
_Hugh: She’ll have Abby take an intro class and decide from there what level she’ll be placed in._   
_Eggsy: Sounds rough. It’s an audition yeah?_   
_Hugh: Not really. Abby will get to take class no matter what. It just determines which classes she’ll take. The instructor is really good at making sure the kids don’t feel bad at whatever level they get placed in._   
_Eggsy: Alright. But if Abby gets her heart broken, I’m coming for you._   
_Hugh: Only fair :)_

_*New Text: Merlin_   
_Hugh says Abby’ll have to audition. Heads up so we don’t accidentally freak her out._

Merlin glances down at his phone and read the message Eggsy sent him.

“Hugh says Diana is signed up for Ballet and Contemporary.” Eggsy announces  
“I want to do contemporary. I hate ballet.” Abby says  
“Ain’t ballet important for technique?” Merlin and Abby both stare at him, “What?”  
“How did ye know that?”   
“I did gymnastics until I was sixteen. I had to take dance too so I stopped looking like a flippy toy when I did floor.”

Abby goes back to the website and scrolls through, looking at the list of classes offered. Nothing seems to spark her interest. Then she sits up a little, eyes widening and lighting up.

“Circus skills! Dad! Can I take circus skills? Eggsy could help me with it!”  
“I’ll make ye a deal. Take ballet so that ye have the technique you need, and I’ll let you sign up for circus skills.” Merlin bargains  
“But that’s a lot of dance. What if it’s too much?” Abby asks  
“Ballet is twice a week. Contemporary and Circus skills are both once a week on the same day. So it’s about 7 hours a week. Is that okay?”   
“If it’s too much can I switch to the once a week ballet? I’m not even taking it to be good at it.”  
“Alright. Deal. If it’s too much ye can switch to the once a week ballet and it’ll drop ye down to five hours.”

Abby and Merlin shakes hands.

*

“Eggsy!” Abby yells and comes rocketing across the playground, “Can Diana come over today? Please?”  
“Please Eggsy!” Diana implores, skidding to a halt behind Abby.  
“Woah. Okay. Diana, you need to ask your dad yeah? And I’ll text Abby’s dad.” Eggsy answers.

_Eggsy: Hey. Abby is gunning hard for Diana to come over. Are the plasterers done?_   
_Merlin: For today. Abby can have her over._

“Okay. Abby’s dad says yes. Once Diana’s dad comes we can ask him.”  
“Ask me what?” Hugh asks  
“Dad can I go to Abby’s house today?” Diana begs  
“I don’t know… I haven’t met her dad,” Hugh says uncertainly, “And the house is awfully far away.”  
“Come with us.” Eggsy blurts  
“What?” Hugh turns to Eggsy, brow wrinkled.  
“Come with us. Kill two birds with one stone. You can meet Merlin, and you don’t gotta drive all over creation picking up Diana.”  
“Pleeeease Dad?” Diana asks

Eggsy can see the moment Hugh relents His shoulders sags a little and he drags a hand over his face, “Alright. Lead the way Eggsy.”

*

The car doors slam shut and Abby and Diana run into the house hand in hand. Merlin calls a greeting to Abby as she runs passed but it goes largely unacknowledged. This just elicits an amused shake of his head. He heads down the steps to greet Eggsy and Hugh.

“Merlin this is Diana’s dad Hugh!” Eggsy calls out  
Merlin holds his hand out to Hugh, “Hamish but most call me Merlin. A long story but the name stuck.”  
“Good to meet you Merlin.” Hugh says with a grin  
“Care for a tour of the house? It’s kinda disastrous from the restoration but it’s still cool.”  
“Sure. I’d love a tour.”

*

Abby and Diana spend such a long times hugging when it’s time for Diana to go home for the evening, Eggsy would have sworn Diana was deploying for war. Hugh and Merlin seem totally prepared for this however and let the two girls hug it out until they eventually separate. 

“Have a good time Abs?” Eggsy asks  
“Yeah. I let Diana borrow my Sadie v. The Goblin King, and Alien Earth. So we can talk about them next time we get to play.” Abby says  
“Well I’m glad ye had a good time,” Merlin says and kisses her head, “Go and clean up for dinner.”

*

Eggsy looks up as Merlin enters the kitchen after tucking Abby in for the night. He looks beat.

“Oi. Want a beer? I could use one after running around after after Diana and Abby all afternoon.” Eggsy offers  
“Dear god yes,” Merlin sighs and drops into a chair at the kitchen table, “I had to live with the plasterers all day. Did ye know that plastering could be loud? And disrupt the wiring?”  
Eggsy passes him a beer. “Frankly I didn’t even know plasterers were a thing.”

Merlin snorts and takes a sip of his beer. They sit in comfortable silence for a bit, sipping their beers.

Eggsy takes a sip of his beer and chews on his lip, “Did you get along with Hugh?”  
Merlin’s eyebrows shoot up a little, “Yes. Why does that matter?”  
Eggsy feels himself blush all the way to the roots of his hair, “I just… He’s Diana’s dad yeah? It would be good if the two of you got along since Abby and Diana are basically soulmates.”  
Merlin snorts, “Yeah. I’ve never seen Abby latch on to someone so fast. Well, except for when the two of you met.”  
“She’s a good kid.”  
“Yeah. She is.”


	6. Chapter 6

Eggsy wanders aimlessly around the house. With Abby spending her days at school, Eggsy is incredibly bored. Normally if he was at home he’d have gone down to the pub by now. But the nearest pub is miles away in town, and Eggsy isn’t sure he is allowed to drink on the clock anyway.

One of the plasterers heaves his way down the stairs into the kitchen where Eggsy is staring blankly into the fridge. He isn’t really hungry but making food might be something to do.

“Have ye seen Mr. Stuart? We’re having some trouble with an upstairs hallway.” 

Eggsy straightens up and kicks the door to the fridge closed.  
“He’s probably in the office dealing with the historian.”  
“Don’t know where the office is.”   
Eggsy sighs a little, “Alright. Come on.”

The two of them troop back up the stairs and Eggsy leads the plasterer to Merlin’s office where, sure enough, he’s listening to the historian with a pained expression.   
“Mr. Todd I understand what ye are saying. I am aware that in order to maintain historical status every change I make has to be in the effort of restoration. But I also cannot be expected to not replace dangerous lead pipes and old toilets and go shit in the woods instead.”

The historian seems affronted by that. Although if he’s affronted by the use of the word shit or Merlin’s instance that new plumbing must be installed and not just in the areas rusted shut like apparently done before, Eggsy can’t tell. 

“Hey Merlin.” Eggsy interrupts before the historian can get going on another rant.   
Merlin’s eyes flick to him, and Eggsy gets the distinct impression that Merlin’s a trapped animal looking for a way out.  
“Eggsy! What do ye need?”   
“The plasterers are having some trouble with one of the halls.”  
“Right. Let’s take a break while I deal with this.” Merlin suggests   
“Fine. But this discussion is not over with.” Mr. Todd says but he still leaves the room to go check on the restoration process. 

Eggsy leaves Mr. Todd to explore, and Merlin to discuss the problems with the plaster. He wanders aimlessly for a little bit longer. Then he heads back down into the kitchen, yanking open cupboards until he finds what he needs. He comes away with a broom and a rag. Plus some window cleaner. 

He attacks the first floor first. There’s an empty room on that level that is finished with plastering.

The floor is covered in plaster dust. Eggsy sets his rag and window cleaner down. He starts by sweeping the floor, pushing all the plaster dust into a mound towards the center of the floor. He sweeps into the dustpan and then sets about cleaning the windows in that room. They are two of the very few unbroken windows in the entire place but they are still grimy with disuse. Most of the grime probably is outside but it helps the space feel marginally cleaner.

He finishes with that space, and as he picks up the dustpan to walk out someone upstairs starts hammering. It sends cascades of plaster dust from the ceiling. The dust covers the entire floor Eggsy just swept, and clings to the windows that were still the slightest bit damp from cleaning product.

Eggsy’s mouth drops open in horror. If possible the room is worse than when he began. He dumps the first load of plaster dust in the construction dumpster outside. He returns to the space with a vengeance. He sweeps out a second load of dust, re-cleans the windows and makes sure that they’re bone dry before he leaves. But the hammering starts again, and more dust is stirred. Less than last time but it still litters the floor.  
Eggsy clenches his jaw, nostrils flaring. He drags the broom and his other gear to another room on that level. Someone must be working in the room above that one too because every time they take a step more dust falls to the floor.

He abandons the rooms on the first floor. He heads up to Abby’s room, but she is a neat freak so everything is set up the way she likes it, not a single dust bunny in sight. Eggsy had cleaned his room the day before. All the bedrooms left on that floor are being re-plastered, including Merlin’s room. He’d been sleeping in his office. 

The level above that is technically off limits because of water damage. The architect is still working on the historical planning commission to get more money to cover that expense.

Eggsy barges into Merlin’s office, “Oi. Think you should talk to the plastering company.”  
Merlin’s face crumples a little, “Oh god. Why?”  
“I was trying to clean up some of the rooms and every time someone took a step dust just poured from the fucking sky,” Eggsy complains, “Sorry I said fucking.”

Merlin drops his head to the desk and smacks it a few times, “I don’t give a fuck as long as you’re not around Abby. They warned me it might flake for a few days after it was applied because the sealant they used when the house was built was full of shit like lead so they had to use a different period accurate plaster. They didn’t inform me it would be like emptying a vacuum.”   
“Sorry mate.”  
“No need. I just didn’t think through the fact that this would take a lot of work. I am in over my head.” Merlin complains with his face still smushed into the wood of his desk.  
“Hey. I think you’re doing great.” Eggsy offers and it’s enough to get Merlin to raise his head from his desk.  
“Ye think so?”  
“Hell yeah. You’re dad-ing Abby, you’re dealing with me being in your space when you barely know me, and for a guy in technology you’re doing a great job at talking to all the people we gotta deal with.”

Merlin smiles a little. It softens his face a bit, makes him seem younger, and more handsome than before.

“Thank ye Eggsy,” Merlin sighs and sits back in his chair, “I have to tell Abby she doesn’t get to paint her room when she gets home. I am not looking forward to that argument.”  
“Is there something she can paint?”  
“I suppose she could paint her bed and her dresser if she wants. They’re just white at the moment.”  
“Maybe if you tell her she can paint those she’ll be less upset by the room thing.”  
“It’s worth a shot. Speaking of Abby would ye mind stopping on your home from picking her up and getting takeaway for dinner? After the day I’ve had I am not in the mood to cook.”  
“Sure bruv. No problem.”  
Merlin smiles again, “Thank ye Eggsy. Ye are a life saver.”

While Eggsy waits to go pick up Abby, he calls his mum. He hasn’t had a chance to call her since he moved in.  
“Eggsy?”  
“Hey mum.”  
“Oh babe! It’s so good to hear your voice. Daisy and I miss you.”  
“I miss you too. How’s everything there?”  
“Quiet. Dean came into some money so he’s been out mostly.”

“You need any money? I’m getting paid a mint up here, and I don’t need most of it.”  
“Keep your money. I know you’re just trying to help but I promise you we’re okay.”  
“Would you tell me if you weren’t?”  
That draws a silence from the other end of the line. It takes several beats before Michelle answers, “Yeah babe. I swear I’d tell ya if there was trouble.”  
Eggsy isn’t sure he believes her.

“Is Daisy good?”  
“She’s great. Not much longer and she’ll be talking in full sentences, mark my words. Want to say hi?”  
“God yes.”  
There’s some rustling on the other end of the line, then Daisy, “Eggy?”  
“Hi Dais! Are you having a good day?” 

Eggsy and Michelle let Daisy babble for a bit. Eggsy’s heart aches for London. He never felt like he belonged there but now that he’s in northern Scotland, working like a stay at home mum, he misses it desperately. He won’t lie, not having to dodge Dean’s fists all day every day is nice. Still, he misses the Black Prince, and his mates. He misses Parkour, and the feel of dirty concrete beneath his trainers. He still isn’t used to the lack of noise either. The most noise he gets out here is when martens or foxes decide to fuck outside his bedroom window.

“So what’s this man you’re working for like hey?” his mum asks as she comes back on the line.  
“He’s the good sort. A bit intense, but he’s nice, loves his daughter to pieces, and is working himself ragged trying to get this renovation back on track. He can’t remember anything for shit but it ain’t really annoying. It’s mostly funny.”  
“Is he handsome?”  
“Mum!”  
“What? I know you Eggsy. You’ve always had a soft spot for older men. I remember when you were twelve and we had that uni student move in down the hall, you trailed after him for months until he dropped out and went home to his parents. Your taste in women has always run closer to your age.”  
“The fact that you can remember that after all we’ve dealt with is disturbing.”  
“Oh just hush and tell me if he’s handsome.”  
Eggsy sighs and settles back on his bed, “Yeah. He’s got a good nose. I ain’t into him really though. He’s my employer and it feels weird to think of him like that while taking care of his kid.”  
“There someone else then?” Michelle asks, latching on to the slight inflection in Eggsy’s voice.  
“Maybe. There’s this guy Hugh. He’s a dad of Abby’s friend.”  
“Well tell me about him.”

They chat like that until it’s time for Eggsy to pick up Abby from school. The conversation lasts almost an hour. It’s probably the longest they’ve talked without getting interrupted by Dean. It’s also the deepest conversation he’s had with his mum he’s had with his mum since he came out when he was sixteen. She was never exactly present. He hopes they’re doing okay. Daisy deserves the mum Eggsy remembers before Dean, and the drugs and booze.

*

“So what do you want for dinner tonight? Your dad’s pretty pooped. He had to meet with the historian today.” Eggsy explains as Abby clambers into the car.  
“What about that yummy place we got the mac and cheese from two weeks ago?” Abby suggests.  
“Damien’s it is.” Eggsy agrees.

They end up coming home with a huge tub of mac and cheese, two meatball subs, a torpedo sub, and a huge chunk of chocolate cake to share.  
Eggsy shoves it all into the fridge and tosses Abby an apple to munch on while she works through her homework.

Dinner that night is a bit tense when Merlin has to let Abby down. Abby takes the news stoically. Much like she did with the news about them moving, but Merlin and Eggsy can both tell she’s disappointed.

“Ye can still paint your dresser if ye want. And your bed.” Merlin offers. It doesn’t do much to soften the blow.  
“Okay.” Abby says softly as she pushes the end of her mac and cheese around the bowl.  
“Come on bruv. Cheer up,” Eggsy offers, “Maybe we can get cool stencils or something and really jazz it up.”  
“Really?”  
“Sure. I can’t clean up the house with all the construction going on anyway. It’ll give me something to do.”  
“Okay.” Abby says, and she’s obviously still disappointed by the news about her walls but she isn’t as disappointed now that she can really customize her furniture.

‘Thank you’ Merlin mouths.

*

“So. We got some paint to choose from here. Why don’t we look at stencils next?” Eggsy suggests

Abby leaves Eggsy with her paint chips and runs over to the stencils. There are books and books of them. Eggsy figures this is what happens when you go to the high class paint shops instead of the rundown hardware shops on the corner.

Abby pulls out the stencils she likes and lays them out on a table.

“I have no idea what I want.” she admits suddenly  
“Well we got time. How about this, you pick the colors you like to go with each set of stencils and we’ll take pictures of the combinations. That way you can show Diana and your dad. Maybe they can help you pick?”

Abby nods and starts assembling her color schemes. Eggsy makes a note to get her some sort of amateur designer kit for her birthday.  
After a few minutes Abby sits back and nods, pleased with herself.

“There we go.”  
“Great. Why don’t you tell me the idea you were going with for each of these?”

Abby has four themes. The first is seaside. She has a nice soft blue as her base, a sandy color and a coral color for the seashell stencil accents. The next one is night sky. She has a dark blue as her base, and a silver for the star stencils. An enchanted forest theme with two shades of green and leaf stencils, plus some gold sparkly paint to add brightness here and there among the leaves. Her last one Eggsy is pretty sure Merlin will veto. All it is polka dots in different sizes and colors. None of the colors even really go together. Still, considering Abby is ten her other themes are surprisingly sophisticated. When Eggsy was ten all he wanted was to have a circus themed room.   
That was the only time he was thankful for not having money. 

They take pictures of the ideas then put all the supplies back. 

In the end Abby goes with the forest theme. 

Eggsy spends the next week obsessively watching stenciling videos, and marking out locations for the stenciling on sketches of Abby’s furniture. Then he starts sanding it all down.

*

Merlin manages to get off the phone with the electrical company early. How he managed that he doesn’t know, but he in no way expects it to happen again. He has no pressing meetings. The plasterers are gone, and the flooring guys are in measuring everything. With free time he decides to make lunch. With the way Eggsy has been going above and beyond, painting Abby’s furniture he deserves a hot lunch and a bonus.

Merlin steps out back where Eggsy is bent over a dresser drawer, by the looks of it he’s sanding down the primer coat so the paint goes on smoothly. He’s down to just a t-shirt, and sweat stands out on his back and arms. Merlin goes a little breathless at the sight.

“Eggsy!” he calls

Eggsy’s head shoots up, and Merlin’s heart skips a beat. Eggsy’s lips are parted slightly on a breath and he’s flushed from sanding his fifth drawer that day. Merlin silently chastises himself. Just because he’s been alone since Amira left, doesn’t mean he can be a perverted old man and lust over his daughter’s nanny.

“Would ye like something to eat lad?”  
Eggsy grins that bright wide grin of his “Yeah! I’d love whatever you’re cooking up! Thanks!”

*

“Ye did this all from youtube videos and pinterest?” Merlin asks. He’s seen professionals do a worse job than this.

Eggsy finished painting Abby’s furniture but with time still left on his hands, he’d gone into crafting mode. He converted the empty space underneath Abby’s loft bed into a reading nook. He’d sewn curtains, and installed them on a line that circled the space. He took end cuts from the flooring, and added little bookshelves lined with the same fabric.

“Yeah. Is it good? Think Abby will like it?” Eggsy asks. It really is too endearing the way he chews his lip in worry.  
“Lad. This is amazing. I can’t believe ye would do this for Abby.”  
Eggsy shrugs a little, rocking on to his toes, “If I’m honest it got my mind off being homesick for London.”  
“Ye went above and beyond the call of duty lad. Ye are getting a sizeable Christmas bonus. Abby is going to lose her mind.”

Eggsy grins, flushing happily. Just then his phone chimes and he digs it out of his pocket.

“I guess Diana was asking if she could come play with Abby tomorrow.” Eggsy says  
“I suppose they can as long as they stay out of the way of the flooring team. They’re crabby already.”  
“I’ll let Hugh know.”

*

Abby does lose her mind. When Eggsy shows it to her she keeps squealing, running inside, then coming back out to hug him. When Diana comes over to play, they spend most of their time camped out inside of the reading cave, pretending it’s a hideout from some scary monster.

Hugh comes to pick up Diana just after dinner. Diana talks his ear off about Abby’s bed while she scrambles throughout the house looking for all of her stuff. Finally she runs upstairs to get her backpack.

“I think you just fucked me over mate.” Hugh remarks as he and Eggsy wait by the front door.  
“What?” Eggsy fights down the nervous giggle that rises in his throat at the way Hugh says fucked.  
“Diana is gonna want something like that now. You just set the record for coolest bedroom among Abby’s classmates.”  
“That’s what happens when you leave me alone when I’m bored and homesick.” Eggsy says with a small shrug.

They fall into a comfortable silence for a bit. Then Hugh turns to look at Eggsy.  
“I wanted to ask you something.”  
“Hit me.”  
“Eggsy… would you like to go out sometime?” Hugh asks  
Eggsy feels like his brain is leaking out of his ears, “What?”  
“On a date I mean,” Hugh continues, “if it isn’t too weird.”

Eggsy gapes at him. Is this really happening? He feels a stupid urge to pinch himself to see if he wakes up. He just manages to fight off that impulse. In all his time thinking about Hugh, it never occurred to him that Hugh might feel the same.

“Yeah. Yeah I’d love to go on a date.”


	7. Chapter 7

There’s a knock on Merlin’s office door, and he actually has to squeeze his eyes and count backwards from ten. If it had been Abby she would’ve just busted in, or done her special knock for ‘I know you’re on the phone but I really need you.’ Eggsy never knocks. He always opens the door and pokes his head around the corner. If there was a knock it has something to do with the renovation. They’ve been working on new tile for the kitchen. 

“Come in!” He calls out  
The door swings open and Eggsy steps in. Merlin feels the tension bleed from his shoulders.   
“Eggsy! What can I do for ye?” he asks  
Eggsy shuffles towards the desk, rubbing the back of his neck, “I was wondering if I could ask a favor?”  
Merlin squints, “Depends on the favor.”  
Eggsy doesn’t quite make eye contact with him, “Diana’s dad… you know Hugh. Um… he kinda asked me on a date. So I was wondering if I could have tonight off maybe.”  
“Hugh asked ye on a date.” Merlin repeats  
“Yeah. And I said I’d go,” Eggsy answers uncertainly. Then his face crumples a little, “Unless it’s like a conflict of interest or something?”

Merlin sags back in his chair. It’s not a conflict of interest. Hugh is a good man, and Diana has been wonderful for Abby. Diana has spent hours in one of them empty rooms with Abby when they learned about the audition for the dance school, helping her prepare for exactly what the instructor was looking for. There’s no reason to say no.   
So why is Merlin’s first instinct to deny Eggsy this date?  
“No. Not a conflict of interest. As long as ye can still pick up Abby? I would do it but I have to be here to deal with—“ The sounds of drilling booms into the room. Fuck these thin walls.   
Eggsy grins, “Yeah. I get that. I shouldn’t have a problem picking her up. Hugh has to pick up Diana anyway.”  
Merlin grinds his teeth, “Does he have a sitter for tonight or does Diana need to spend the evening here?”  
“Nah. Diana is spending the night with a friend.”  
“Have a good time tonight then.”   
“I will. You’re the guv Merlin.”

*

“Alright. What about this one?” Eggsy does a turn for Abby. When she found out he was going out with Hugh she insisted on helping him pick out an outfit.   
“Do you have to wear the hat?” Abby eyes him critically.   
“Oi! I haven’t gotten a haircut since we got to Scotland. My hair’s a disaster. So it’s either a hat, or I’m pushing my hair outta my face all night.”  
“Fine,” Abby sighs and hops down from the bed. She starts pawing through his dresser, then hands him a dark green polo, and a grey bomber, “You should really hang these up.”  
“What are you? The fashion police?” Eggsy teases  
“No. But Uncle Harry is.”  
“Fair enough.” Eggsy agrees and takes off the current shirt to switch it out for the shirt Abby picked.   
“You should get new undershirts. Yours are full of holes.” Abby announces  
“Write me a ticket later officer. Now how do I look?”  
“I think good. You’re ready to go.”

Eggsy shakes his head and gives Abby’s hair a rustle. 

“I’m just gonna let your dad know I’m leaving.”

Eggsy heads downstairs and pokes his head into the living room area where Merlin has settled in for the evening. 

“Just wanted to let you know I’m out. Hugh’ll be here in a bit.”  
Merlin looks up from his tablet, “Alright. Abby and I will probably just hang out and eat pizza. Ye look nice.”  
“Abby picked it out. Harry’s turned her into a fashion gremlin.”  
“Don’t I know it. Have fun tonight.”  
Eggsy’s phone buzzes. It’s a text from Hugh saying he’s outside.   
“Will do. See you when I get home.”

*

Merlin pushes the last of the renovation out the door for the evening and collapses onto the sofa. He has to wonder why on earth he’s putting up with this. He could have just stayed in London, stuck with his new promotion instead of doing sporadic freelance projects.

His head is pounding from the amount of ambient noise that day. Between the loud music blasting from the workmen’s radios (none of which were tuned into the same channel), the constant tapping of hammers pushing the new tile into the caulk, and the drilling for god knows what, he feels like he might explode.  
He decides it’s time for a beer. No matter his rule on weekday drinking. He heads into the kitchen and pulls one from the fridge, then sits at the kitchen table. He scrolls blankly through social media, switching from one app to the next as his attention span wears thin. There doesn’t seem to be anything fascinating enough to keep him distracted by his restlessness. 

His skin feels too tight. He keeps grinding his teeth, physically forcing himself to stop, only to find himself grinding his teeth again.

Abby finds him in one of the work zones genuinely contemplating trying to tidy away the tools that have been left out, just as a distraction.

“Daddy?”  
“What’s up sweetie?”  
“Can I take the family laptop to my room to watch movies in my book cave?”

Merlin sighs then turns around, doing his best to shake his irritation off, it wouldn’t be fair to Abby to make her think she was the cause of his weird mood.

“Sure thing. It’s in my bottom right drawer in my desk. Want any popcorn?”  
“It’s on the list. We’re out,” Abby explains, “Thanks dad!”

He watches her skip away, then decides he’s pretty hungry. Maybe. He heads back out the kitchen and heats up the leftover fried rice he’d made for dinner the night before.  
It isn’t as good as it was the first time.

He heads up to his study and brings Netflix up on his computer. If Abby is tucked away for the evening then Merlin will be too. He turns on something mindless.

At around midnight his door opens and Eggsy peeks around the doorjamb.

“Saw you were still up. Thought I’d let you know I was back.”  
“How was your date?” Merlin asks, adhering to social conventions even though the thought of the date makes him cranky.  
Eggsy’s whole face lights up like he’s emitting light from his very soul.  
“It was great. We went to a pub and just talked while we ate shit food.”  
“I’m glad it went well.”  
“Yeah. We have another date planned for my next day off.”

*

Eggsy pulls up to school and hops out of the car when Abby isn’t waiting on the curb for him to pick her up. Sometimes she gets distracted playing with Diana and the other kids, and forgets to come meet him.

As he enters through the gate, the safety officer steps into his path.

“Mr. Unwin, right?”   
“Yeah…?” Eggsy answers hesitantly  
“I’m afraid Abby got into some trouble today. She’s waiting for you in the main office with her teacher.”

When Eggsy opens the door to the office, Abby is slouched low in a chair with her arms crossed over her chest. The teacher and the headmaster are both waiting for him, hands on hips, faces a portrait of disappointment.

“What’s the problem then?” Eggsy asks   
“Abby here had a bit of a… let’s call it a blow up in class today.” Mrs. Evans explains.  
Eggsy turns to Abby, “What happened?”

Abby just scowls and sinks lower in her seat.

“I was explaining at the end of class today that we have family heritage month coming up, and we would be doing a presentation for the little festival we host at the end,” Mrs. Evans explains, “I was informing them that they would need to get a detailed family tree from both sides of the family, as well as a few stories, and that’s when Abby became very upset.”  
“Upset how?” Eggsy asks  
“She told me that she would not complete the assignment even if it meant failing her grade. I explained that all students in all grades had to complete a similar assignment, so there would be no point in fighting it. When I passed out the instruction sheet, Abby crumpled it up and repeated that she would not do it. When I once again informed her that it was required she screamed in my face, and threw the crumpled instruction sheet at me.” Mrs. Evans finishes  
“I hope you’re aware, Mr. Unwin, that violence is not tolerated at our school. Abby is at risk of suspension due to this little incident.” The headmaster says, more patronizing than even the rich fucks that looked at Eggsy like dirt.  
“Okay. Calm down. It ain’t like Abby punched a kid in the face. She’s ten, for some reason the assignment upset her, and she reacted bad when nobody listened to her. I’ll get her home, and once we all calm the fu-- calm down, I’ll ask her about it. But you lot embarrassing her by dragging her into the office, ain’t gonna solve the problem,” Eggsy defends, “Come on Abby.”

*

Abby is silent the entire car ride home, and for the first time Eggsy feels entirely out of his depth. Until now his job has mostly been shuttling Abby around and making sure she ate dinner when Merlin was too overwhelmed with the renovation. This is the first time Abby has actually gotten in trouble, and Eggsy is fairly certain it weren’t just a kid being bratty. It’s probably about something else and Merlin should be the one to handle that.  
Abby still doesn’t say anything when they get home. She doesn’t even stop for a snack, just barrels straight up to her room and slams the door shut.

The noise draws Merlin from his deep negotiations with the historian. He glances to Eggsy then up the stairs where Abby is hiding out in her room.

“What was that all about?” he asks  
“Abby got in trouble today. Guess she screamed at her teacher and threw an assignment at her,” Eggsy explains, “She didn’t tell me why though. Don’t think she’s actually said a word since the dragged her into the office.”  
Merlin is looking at him like he’s grown an extra head, “Okay… what was the assignment?”  
“Some family heritage thing.”   
“Oh.” Merlin says softly. His whole demeanor changes. He sags a little, and his eyes fill with an understanding sadness. It makes Eggsy’s stomach squirm.   
“What’s wrong?”   
“Don’t ye worry about it. I know what’s going on and I’ll talk to her. Thank ye for not threatening her or yelling at her, it would make this a lot harder.”  
“No yeah. Ain’t a problem a bruv. I didn’t think she was just throwing a fit for no good reason.” Eggsy responds.  
Merlin squeezes his shoulder, then makes his way upstairs,  
“I assume that means Mr. Stuart and I are done?” the historian asks

*

Merlin leaves Eggsy in his wake. The lad was clearly confused, those blue eyes of his wide. There wasn’t time to explain though. The longer he leaves Abby, the more likely she is to shut down.

He knocks on her door but gets no response. So he knocks again, this time adding “It’s your dad Abby. I just want to talk.”  
He still doesn’t get a response, so he just pushes open her door and closes it behind him. Abby is curled up on her bed, back to him. She isn’t crying which is good. It means she can listen to him better.

Merlin hoists himself up so he can sit on the end of the bed. He rests his hand on Abby’s shoulder.

“Eggsy told me what happened mo laochain,” Merlin says and Abby just curls into a tighter ball, “Is this because of mum?”

Abby’s head moves a little on her pillow to indicate a yes.

Merlin starts petting her head, “I’m sorry. It’s not fair that she left, and I know it’s hard to have to explain to adults over and over again why ye can’t do family projects, and mother’s day cards.”  
“I said I couldn’t and she wouldn’t listen.” Abby says flatly  
“I know. I’m sorry. She should have asked ye to talk after class.”  
“It’s not fair that all the kids who’s parents are dead get to do different assignments but because my mum only left I still have to do it.”  
That isn’t exactly what happened but Merlin can see how Abby got to that conclusion.  
“You’re right. It’s not fair that schools ask ye to do family projects when they don’t know what your family situation is.”

It’s quiet for a bit.

“I’m sorry I screamed at Mrs. Evans.” Abby says finally  
“I forgive ye. Ye can talk to Mrs. Evans tomorrow, and apologize. I’ll write ye a note to explain why ye blew up. Maybe she can modify the assignment a bit,” Merlin says, “Are ye hungry?”  
Abby shakes her head.  
“Alright. Well if ye get hungry later come find me.” Merlin says and hops down from the bed.

*

Eggsy can’t sleep. He’s been tossing and turning for hours. Something about Merlin’s expression this afternoon has stuck with him. Making it nearly impossible to sleep. Eventually he gives up the fight and rolls out of bed.

He makes his way down to the kitchen, hoping some water will sort him out. The light is already on when he gets down there. He comes around the corner and finds Merlin hunched over the table waiting for a kettle to boil. He looks up when Eggsy comes in, he looks ragged.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Eggsy asks and gets a mug and a tea bag out of the cupboard for himself.  
Merlin scrubs a hand over his face and smooths it over the back of his head, “I’ve been trying to write a note to explain Abby’s behavior yesterday.”

The kettle boils and Eggsy makes them both a cuppa. He sits across from Merlin at the table.

“What was that all about? You never explained.” Eggsy asks  
Merlin takes a sip of his tea, “Abby’s mum isn’t around. As I’m sure ye noticed.”  
“I did notice. I just figured it was kinda personal.”   
“Amira was never meant to be a mother.” Merlin says, staring into the void.  
“Is Amira Abby’s mum?” Eggsy asks  
Merlin nods, “We met about twelve years ago. Amira was a few years younger than me, and a bit of a free spirit. I don’t know why she was attracted to a man who spent his life hunched over a computer screen, and I’m surprised she stuck with me for longer than a few months. If I’m honest I think she was my last ditch attempt to try to be straight when my normal dating pool dried up. I was probably her last attempt to settle down somewhere to make her family happy.  
“She wasn’t ready to have kids but she’d been getting pressure from her mother and grandmothers to settle down with a nice man and start a family. So when she learned she was pregnant with Abby, she decided she could do it. Be a housewife and a mother. We should’ve known it wouldn’t work. Amira lasted about a year before she left Abby with me and went to have some grand adventure. At first she would come by at Christmas and birthdays. She stopped just after Abby’s eighth birthday. We occasionally get an impersonal card in the mail.”  
“So that’s why Abby was upset by the project.” Eggsy guesses  
“Yes. It required them to interview family members to get stories, especially grandparents. But my parents are long since dead and Abby has never met Amira’s family. I never even met them so I can’t even give her a shortened history. It’s only been her and me for most of her life. So when she was asked, again, to talk about the woman who abandoned her she lost it.” Merlin explains.

Eggsy has been listening so intently, his tea is cold. Merlin looks truly exhausted now, as though by telling Eggsy this story he had to live through the experience all over again. He’s just staring into his rapidly cooling mug.

“That sucks.” Eggsy says finally  
Merlin lets out a loud surprised snort and actually cracks a smile, “It really does. I don’t even blame her for leaving. She was not meant to be a mum. An eccentric aunt maybe but not a mum. I’m just angry that it upsets Abby so much.”

Eggsy stands up from the table and dumps their tea into the sink. Then makes them both a new mug with significant bit of whiskey poured in on top.

*

By the morning everyone is more or less back to their normal selves. Abby’s eyes are still a little puffy from waking up crying in the middle of the night. Otherwise she’s okay. Merlin passes her the note to give to Mrs. Evans, and places an extra cupcake in her lunch bag.

Abby loads into the car and they drive to school. She’s quieter than usual. Normally on the way to school she chats Eggsy’s ear off about whatever book she’s reading. Not today though.

Eggsy can’t stand the silence any longer, “Your dad told me about why you were upset.”  
“It was stupid.” Abby dismisses quickly, and Eggsy flinches. It’s like listening to an echo. Must be how he sounded growing up.  
“Nah. It’s not stupid. I know what it’s like to grow up without a parent.”  
“Really?” Abby almost sounds hopeful.  
“Yeah. My dad died when I was a little younger than you.” Eggsy answers  
“So he didn’t leave.” Abby says flatly  
“Not the way your mum did but it was still hard. Hey Abs?”  
“Yeah?”  
“I’m gonna say something but you gotta make sure you don’t tell your dad that I cussed in front of you.”  
Abby leans forward eagerly on her seatbelt, “I promise.”  
“What your mum did was really shitty babe. And it fucking sucks that you have to put up with a bunch of rude people who don’t listen just because she wasn’t ready for how awesome you were. Your dad loves you though. He probably loves you enough for both of them, and you should always remember that when life gets crappy.”  
Abby is grinning ear to ear about all the cuss words but her face sobers a little at the end of Eggsy’s speech, “Do you love me?”  
“Course I do. I get paid to take care of you but the money is just a bonus for hanging out with a cool kid all day.”

Abby sits back in her seat. After a few minutes she starts describing the plot of the movie she watched when Eggsy was out on his date.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for waiting patiently for an update. My life got pretty crazy around the holidays but I’m back and hopefully time between updates won’t be as long this time.

“And there’s a heritage night in a month.” Abby says, breathless from talking Eggsy’s ear off for the last twenty minutes.  
“Yeah? What’s heritage night for?” Eggsy asks as he drops a package of bread into the shopping cart.  
“It gives us a chance to show off the special family history presentations we made. We present a draft to the class, and if we show up that night to present in person we get extra credit.” Abby explains while attempting to sneak some canned ravioli into the cart.  
“You never did tell me how Mrs. Evans fixed your project.” Eggsy says as he puts the ravioli back. It’s a special treat and there is still a can in the cupboard.  
“She said I could replace the interview portions with an interview with Dad, and records I could find from libraries and ancestry websites. The tutors have been helping me request records.”  
“Find what you need?” Eggsy asks  
“Mostly. I just want one good story from both sides of the family, but it’s hard when they aren’t here to tell the stories themselves.”

Eggsy makes an understanding noise in his throat. He knows what it is like to not know your family history.

“If we dress like our heritage we can improve by one whole letter grade.” Abby adds and leans on her tiptoes to get something off the shelf.  
That brings Eggsy’s attention back to the conversation, “What does that mean?”

Abby pulls a folder out of her backpack, then hands Eggsy a bright yellow piece of paper.

_Attention students and parents/legal guardians _  
 _To encourage engagement with their heritage, we are adding a new opportunity for extra credit points._  
 _If students present at the heritage festival night at the end of the month, they can get five points extra credit. If students present at heritage night while wearing something that reflects their heritage they can receive as many as ten extra credit points. That is enough to improve a project grade by one whole letter grade._   
_We understand that not every family will have elaborate traditional outfits, so wearing a grandmother’s jewelry or a grandfather’s sweater is enough to earn you a few extra points. Just be sure to include it as part of the presentation so graders are aware of the need for extra points._  
 _Richmond School___

__“What are you planning on doing?” Eggsy asks, he’s pretty sure Abby doesn’t have anything of her grandparents’.  
“I don’t know,” she admits, “I was thinking maybe I could wear one of dad’s shirts as a dress but it doesn’t really involve my heritage.”  
“How long do we have to put this together?” Eggsy asks  
“Two weeks.”  
Eggsy considers it for a moment, “I can sew you something.”  
Abby stops dead in her tracks to look at him, “You know how to sew?”  
“Nothing fancy,” Eggsy says quickly, “My old neighbor that took care of me when I was your age made me learn. Not gonna be able to sew you anything complicated but we can do some research. If there’s a simple thing that’s traditional to one side of your family I can maybe make it for you. Maybe.”  
Abby bounces up and down in her excitement, “You’re the best!”  
“Simple.” Eggsy stresses as Abby starts researching in the middle of the supermarket aisle._ _

__*_ _

__“Dad!” Abby yells when they come home and Merlin emerges from the downstairs restroom.  
“What’s up?”  
“Eggsy says he can sew me a thing for heritage night!” she announces  
“He what?” Merlin looks up at Eggsy with a small crease in his brow.  
“I know how to run a sewing machine,” Eggsy dimisses, “Had to learn because the old lady who watched me couldn’t see to sew anymore. I said if it was simple then I could make her something. But only if it is simple.” he directs this to Abby.  
“I didn’t know you knew how to sew.” Merlin says with the corner of his mouth ticked into a smile.  
“It really ain’t that hard. It’s just cutting and letting the machine doing the work. No way am I prepared for a career in fashion or selling stuff on etsy, but basic basic stuff I can do.”   
“Well then. Seems like you should do some research Abby.”_ _

__*_ _

__“What about this one?” Abby asks and holds up another plaid shirt._ _

__Eggsy carries over the pile of plaids they’ve already chosen so Abby can compare the colors._ _

__They’ve been trying to stick with a saffron, blue, and green color scheme. Abby did the research and came to the conclusion that they struck the right balance between sacred without being too adult._ _

__She also specifically looked up patterns for saris. It took lots of paper, tape, and the use of Merlin’s industrial printer that traveled with him to Scotland but in the end they came up with a pattern that Eggsy could use._ _

__Abby holds out the dark green plaid with a saffron stripe running through it. It fits with the others they’ve gathered from other charity shops._ _

__Eggsy’s plan is to cut apart the various cheap shirts and second hand tourist kilts, then stitch them together in a sort of patchwork, then sew a casual salwar kameez. It’s not necessarily what girls Abby age wear but she decided that it was best for the visual and Eggsy’s sewing skills._ _

__*_ _

__“Abby. You gotta stop moving.” Eggsy repeats himself for the thousandth time. She won’t stop twisting to look at herself in the mirror._ _

__The clothes came out slightly too big so Eggsy is trying to follow pin to fit instructions off google while working with an easily distracted ten year old._ _

__She twists back to facing front and holds still for all of thirty seconds before she starts squirming again. Sure enough the worst comes to pass and Eggsy pokes her with a pin._ _

__“Ow!” Abby says indignantly as she flinches out of Eggsy’s grip.  
“Bruv.” Eggsy says flatly, “This is why you need to hold still. I don’t know what I’m doing with these,” he waves the pincushion around, “so if you’re fidgeting you’re gonna get poked and your clothes won’t fit right.”  
“But it’s taking forever!” Abby whines_ _

__Eggsy sighs and rubs a hand over his face. He can see why Merlin developed the habit of pushing his glasses up to pinch his nose. Abby is a bright and sweet girl but, like with most bright children, she is a handful._ _

__“Okay. Take a break. Be careful with pins, don’t take it off or we’ll have to start all over again.” Eggsy says._ _

__Abby rushes off to get a snack. Shortly after, Merlin wanders into the living room. He has that far away look in his eye that means he’s been arguing practicality versus historical accuracy again._ _

__“How are things coming in here?” he asks  
“Fine. Accidentally poked Abby with a pin so she’s eating a sandwich.” Eggsy responds  
“Was she squirming?” Merlin asks  
“Yup.”  
“Makes sense then.” Merlin sighs and collapses on the sofa.   
“Arguing with the historian again?” Eggsy confirms  
“Yup.”  
Abby comes back with half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, neatly wrapped in parchment paper, “That way you can keep pinning while I eat.”_ _

__Eggsy helps her back on to the coffee table and goes back to pinning._ _

__“It looks very nice,” Merlin says tiredly, “I like the patchwork even if it isn’t the family tartan.”  
Abby rolls her eyes, used to her dad’s teasing, “I did the research. It would have been stupid to pay five-hundred pounds on the fabric for a costume that I’m probably only going to wear once.”  
Merlin laughs, “I know. When you get older we’ll find something you like to make out of the family colors.”  
“All done. Hop down.” _ _

__Eggsy and Merlin help Abby wiggle out of the outfit without disturbing the pins. Then she plops down on the sofa in her tank top and running shorts to finish her sandwich._ _

__*_ _

__“Goddamn son of a fucking!!” Eggsy curses as the sewing machine makes the chunking noise again and stops working.  
Merlin pokes his head into the room, “What’s wrong?”  
“This machine is a piece of shit.” Eggsy says frankly.   
“Christmas is coming.” Merlin promises vaguely just to see the suspicion in Eggsy’s eyes. _ _

__*_ _

__Merlin sets the family laptop down on the little section of table Abby was assigned. He lets her pull up the PowerPoint she made._ _

__She looks very grown up. Eggsy did a commendable job on her outfit, and she was even wearing a little lip-gloss. The lip-gloss was more sparkle than anything but it made her feel special._ _

__“All set sweet pea?”  
“Yeah dad. Go listen to the other kids. We can leave once the graders see my presentation.”   
“I’ll see you soon then.” Merlin kisses her cheek and wanders to another section of the gym to listen to a boy talk about his family in Honduras. He’s one of five kids, counting Abby, that aren’t white. He hopes that that doesn’t damage Abby’s psyche. Her old school in London was far more diverse. _ _

__Merlin works his way around the room until he sees the graders close in on Abby. He knows hovering nearby will worry her but he still wants to hear her presentation. He tucks himself just out of her sight so he can listen._ _

__“My family isn’t very traditional,” Abby starts, “I never got to meet any of my grandparents. My mum isn’t around. I had to get most of my stories from public record.  
My dad’s parents met in the 40s and managed to talk even though World War Two was happening. When my grandpa proposed they were on a rowboat. He was so nervous he dropped the ring overboard and my grandma was so worried about the money he spent she dove overboard to catch the box before it could sink.  
I don’t know as much about my mum’s parents. They were married just before the partition of India. They lost a lot of their family because of it, but somehow managed to stay together.   
What I can say is that I am Scottish. My dad is very proud of that. He never lets me forget that half. Still he left Scotland so he could make a good life for us.   
I can also say that I am half Indian and I’m still learning what that half means to me. But I want to be just as proud of it as my Scottish half.  
That’s why I’m wearing a salwar kameez made of plaid. It’s kinda like me. A cool blend of things.”_ _

__If Merlin is tearing up a bit, well no one has to know._ _

__*_ _

__“Harry Hart.” Harry greets when Merlin calls him.  
“I am fucked so I would appreciate putting down whatever contract ye are looking over, and listening to me.” Merlin says_ _

__He can hear the rustle of paper over the line._ _

__“Done,” Harry responds, “Now are we talking you’re literally fucked as in you’re calling me from a man’s bed, or emotionally fucked?”  
“Emotionally.”  
“Proceed.”  
“I think I have fallen for Abby’s nanny.” Merlin admits, and fuck if that doesn’t sound weird to say out loud.   
“Eggsy?”  
“Yes Eggsy.”   
“Okay… and you came to this conclusion when?” Harry asks  
“A day or so ago. He’s been amazing with Abby since day one but last week he spent four days battling with a junk sewing machine so that Abby could get extra credit on a project.”  
“Merlin, I am going to need more explanation.”  
“Abby could get extra credit by dressing up in a costume that celebrated her heritage so Eggsy spent four days creating patchwork out of old shirts so that Abby could wear a salwar kameez for her presentation.”  
“I see.”  
“He’s kind, but also the biggest pain in the ass. He makes Abby happy—“  
“He’s handsome.” Harry adds  
“He’s handsome.” Merlin agrees  
“So what’s the problem?”  
“He’s dating another dad.”  
“Oh,” Harry is quiet for a moment, “Well you could for once put aside your need for silent nobility and do something about it.”  
“Meaning?”  
“Meaning you ask him on a date before things get any more serious with the other dad.”_ _


	9. Chapter 9

Merlin opens his eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling. For a moment the weight of more historical planning causes him to sink further into the bed. He can’t argue about wallpaper versus historically accurate paint colors again. It’s been days. 

With a sigh he rolls over and checks his phone. It’s ten am. His alarm didn’t go off. If his alarm didn’t go off… he unlocks his phone and pulls up the calendar. It couldn’t be. It is! 

A day off! No meetings! A whole day to himself. 

He nearly springs out of bed in joy. It’s been months since he had any time unaccounted for. He rolls out of bed and throws on a dressing gown over his boxers and t-shirt. 

He finds Abby in the kitchen sleepily munching on sausages and eggs. Eggsy is at the stove top frying some up for himself. He looks up from the pan and offers Merlin a soft smile. 

In the early morning light, Eggsy looks right at home. As though he was always in Merlin’s kitchen. It occurs to Merlin that this is the first time since Amira that his heart has stirred for anyone. 

He pours himself a cup of coffee and presses a kiss to Abby’s head as he sits down. With some food in her system Abby seems to perk up a bit.   
“What are you doing today?” Abby asks  
“Actually I have a day off. I can spend all day with ye, and Eggsy too if he wants.” Merlin responds.   
Abby breaks into a huge grin and turns to Eggsy, “You’re gonna hang out with us right?”  
“Sure Abs.”   
“What do ye want to do then?” Merlin asks  
“Could we go exploring? We haven’t been outside except the first day.”  
“Finish your breakfast and make sure ye put on your boots.”   
“Yes!” Abby cheers and does an honest to god fist pumps. She snatches one of the sausages off her plate and crams it in her mouth as she runs up the stairs to get dressed. 

Eggsy sets his plate on the table and sits, “It was nice of you to ask me to go with you lot but it weren’t necessary. I get if you and Abby want some Daddy-Daughter time.”  
“Don’t be ridiculous, Eggsy. Abby adores ye, I enjoy your company. We want ye there,” Merlin promises, “As long as ye don’t mind climbing trees.”  
“Nah. Climbing trees is the shit.” Eggsy says with a grin. 

Two hours later all three of them are halfway up a tree. 

“Dad will you help me get me to the next branch I can’t reach.” Abby calls down. 

Merlin braces himself against a lower branch and hoists Abby up to the next branch with ease. 

“Damn Merlin. You’ve been working out.” Eggsy says as he swings over. 

The jacket Merlin is wearing is just fitted enough that Eggsy could see the outline of his arms. He is surprisingly ripped under all those jumpers. 

Merlin smiles and shakes his head “It’s just a combination of lugging Abby and her things around. She still likes using me as a jungle gym.”  
Eggsy lets out a chuckle, “Did I tell you she kicked me the other day?”  
“I’m sorry?”  
Eggsy winces a bit, realizing what that sounded like, “On accident. On accident. I was trying to spot her handstand and her left leg went wild. Nailed me right under the chin.”  
“I’m sorry Eggsy! Are ye okay? I can send ye to a doctor if ye need.”

Eggsy’s heart does a funny lurch in his chest. It’s nice to have all of Merlin’s attention turned on him like that. 

“Mate I’m fine. That’s not even the hardest I’ve gotten hit. I only told you cause I thought you’d find it funny.”

Merlin looks unconvinced and a bit more concerned at the mention of being struck other times. Eggsy makes a tactical retreat. 

“If it makes you feel better she made me go inside so she could get me an ice pack.”  
Merlin finally cracks a smile, “Okay. That is a little funny.”

Just then Abby calls out for help again. Both men move off to chase after her. After lunch they hang out on the front lawn so Abby can practice for the upcoming show at her dance studio. 

She cartwheels her way around without stopping. Eggsy is surprised she hasn’t thrown up. 

They stay out until sunset. By the time they go back inside Abby is exhausted. She actually falls asleep at the dinner table. 

Merlin hefts her up in his arms again and smiles at Eggsy.   
“Have a good night.”

Eggsy feels that heart twinge again as Merlin walks away. He’s a great dad. Better than Dean could ever be even with a brain transplant. 

He should text Hugh. 

*

The back door of the car pops open and Abby climbs into the back seat. She kind of flops there for a moment, door still half open, eyes closed. 

“You ready for dance?” Eggsy calls back to her.   
Abby stirs enough to close the door fully, “I don’t feel good.” 

Eggsy turns in his seat to get a proper look at Abby. She is a bit flushed. Eggsy reaches out and presses the back of his hand to her head. She’s burning up. 

“Okay. No dance today. I’ll call your teacher when we get home.”

Eggsy gets Abby all tucked into bed then calls the dance teacher. Merlin finishes with his meeting just a minute later and comes up the stairs to check on her. 

“Need anything sweetheart?”  
“Just some water.”

Merlin heads down into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Eggsy is perched on the table, scrolling through something on his phone. He looks up as Merlin comes in. 

“I know I was supposed to have tonight off cause I got a date with Hugh, but if Abby’s sick I don’t mind staying. I could run to get cold medicine or something.”  
“Don’t worry about it. It’s just a bug. It’s been going around the school. Ye go on your date. We’ll be fine.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yes. Go Eggsy.”  
“Text me if you need me yeah?”  
“I’ll text Ye if I need ye. Go get ready for your date.”

He meets Hugh at exactly eight like planned but he’s distracted. He’s never been in charge of a sick kid before. Even if Abby is technically under her dad’s care at the moment, Eggsy still feels like he should be home helping. What if Merlin needs something? He can’t just leave Abby by herself while he vanishes into the night on an errand.

“Eggsy. Earth to Eggsy.”  
Eggsy’s attention snaps back to Hugh. He has an amused smile crinkling the corners of his eyes.  
“Sorry,” Eggsy says and refocuses on the menu, “Was thinking.”  
“I could tell. Mind sharing what about?”  
“Abby is sick.”  
Hugh nods knowingly, “Yeah. It’s been going around school. I wouldn’t be surprised if Diana comes down with it soon. School’s been trying to keep parents from sending kids in when they’re sick but you know how it is.”  
“Miss a day and you’re behind for the next month. Was school always this shit?” Eggsy asks  
Hugh chuckles and offers a shrug in response, “Abby is with Merlin right?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Then there’s no need to worry. He can handle it.”  
“You’re right. He’s done it before. Freaking out over nothing.”

Eggsy finally pays attention to the menu. He never thought he’d be much into fish but turns out living in a rural Scottish town with limited access to goods, makes you a more flexible eater. Fish is caught fresh daily and it always tastes a million times better than the fish sticks he grew up eating.

Their waitress swings by to get their order. Then she collects their menus and heads off into the kitchen. Eggsy and Hugh are left alone without the menus to distract them. Hugh offers Eggsy a smile, and opens his mouth to say something. He’s cut off by Eggsy’s phone vibrating loudly on the table. Eggsy snatches it up immediately to check his notifications. Just an announcement about a coupon deal for the fabric store two towns over. He sets it back down. Hugh is frowning a bit.

“I told Merlin to text if he needs me.” Eggsy offers by way of explanation.  
“It’s your night off.” Hugh points out.  
“I know but I offered. In London if shit hit the fan he could always call Harry or use a delivery app. Can’t do that here. I’m his only back up.”  
“Mhm.” Hugh says, lips pressed tight together.  
“What?”  
“Nothing.”  
“Hugh, you can’t just give me bitch face and then not tell me why you’re giving me bitch face.”   
“No,” Hugh leans back in his chair palms up in surrender, “No bitch face here.”

Eggsy eyes him with suspicion but lets it drop. They sit in silence for a few more minutes and then the waitress brings them back their entrees. Tension broken, they both dig in with gusto.

“You know, I don’t think I ever asked what you did in London. Always a nanny?” Hugh asks  
“Oh fuck no. Was a proper piece of shit in London.”  
That makes Hugh laugh, “What made you a piece of shit?”  
Eggsy shrugs a bit, thinking of a way to open up about his past without scaring Hugh half to death, “Mostly just worked odd under the table jobs, and did reckless shit with my mates. Miss that part sometimes.”  
“And by reckless shit…?”  
“Parkour mostly. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Don’t get me wrong I love Scotland and working for Merlin, but I sometimes get the feeling I weren’t ever really meant to be in a place like this. Miss flying and stupid city grit that gets under your nails. Plus I miss my mum and sister. Worry about them a lot.”  
“Didn’t know you had a sister. We’ve been together for nearly seven months and I didn't know you had a sister.” Hugh’s voice pitches up a bit at the end in annoyance.  
“I don’t talk about her much. Things with her dad, my stepdad, are complicated. I probably won’t get to see her again for a while.”  
“Eggsy, that--” Hugh is cut off by Eggsy’s phone vibrating again. Eggsy snatches it up. 

Thankfully no notice from Merlin. Just an email from Abby’s school. Eggsy sets the phone back down.

When he looks back up, Hugh is scowling.  
“What?”  
“You could have just told him to call.”  
“Well I didn’t think of that. And I don’t want to text him to tell him to call. It’s weird.”  
“It would be less weird than you checking your phone every five minutes waiting for a text from another man.”  
“What the fuck does that mean?”  
“It means I’m wondering how committed you are to the relationship. How would you feel if I was constantly checking my phone on a date?”  
“You always check your phone on a date, Hugh. You always worry Diana is gonna need you. Ain’t that like a dad thing?”  
Hugh clenches his jaw a bit, “If I was checking it constantly to see if I get a message from work?”  
“Mate. If you told me at the top of the date that there might be a work emergency and you might need to bail early, I’d get it. I don’t get why you’re so pissed.”  
“I’m pissed because for the last five dates we have had, you have been glued to your phone every time, waiting for a text from Merlin. And we were supposed to have more than those five dates over the last two months but you kept calling to cancel or reschedule because Abby and Merlin ‘needed you’ for some vague reason or another.”  
“Shit happens,” Eggsy says defensively, “What are you getting at?”  
“What I’m getting at is that you are more committed to Merlin than to me. You are committed to a man you are not even involved with romantically! Unless…” something seems to dawn on Hugh, “Fuck how could I have been so stupid? It’s obvious. You have feelings for Merlin.”

Eggsy sees red. He’s not sure why. It would be easy to laugh it off and tell Hugh to calm the fuck down. But something about his tone pushes Eggsy’s buttons.

“Listen you holier than thou cunt. I do not have feelings for my fucking boss. I love Abby. I spend literally every single day taking care of her. So if she’s sick, I am going to be reachable. And if we’re talking about ‘feelings’ for someone don’t think for one fucking second I ain’t seen you making eyes at David Nussbaum’s father at pick up.”  
“Maybe if my boyfriend would stop flirting with his boss, I wouldn’t need to look outside the relationship.”

And if that doesn’t have shades of Dean. 

“Fuck you. You were accusing me of shit. You don’t get to turn my point about you being a hypocrite around to blame me. You’re fifty not fifteen.”  
“You still haven’t proved me wrong yet.”  
“Yeah? And how am I supposed to that bruv? All I can say is that I don’t but you ain’t listening.”  
“Well if you won’t prove it, then maybe I should go.”  
“Yeah. Maybe you should!”

Hugh stands up and slaps some cash down on the table to cover his portion of the meal and storms out. The restaurant is deathly quiet behind Eggsy. There is no way anyone in the place missed that exchange. Shit.

The waitress swings by after a moment and silently slides the check on to the table. Eggsy places his half of the money on the table and leaves. The drive home is long.

*

Merlin sneaks down the stairs in the pitch black, not wanting to wake Eggsy or Abby. With the restoration coming to an end he’s had more and more trouble sleeping. When he took this project, he never thought about what to do with it finished. He could move back to London but that seems foolish with all this work.

He makes it to the bottom of the stairs and rounds the corner for the kitchen. The light is already on, Eggsy is sitting at the table and staring into space. There’s a glass of water next to him that looks practically untouched. His phone is abandoned next to him. Merlin still doesn’t know the whole story about the fight with Hugh but it seems like a bad one.  
Eggsy seems to come back to reality as Merlin enters the kitchen. He offers a tired smile.

“Can’t sleep?” Merlin asks  
“Boy troubles. You?”  
“Future plan anxiety.”

Eggsy nods in agreement as Merlin pours himself a glass of water as well. Merlin sits across from him with a sigh.

“Want to talk about it?”  
Eggsy shrugs, “We have a date Friday.”  
“Oh. Is that good news?”  
“Dunno. Guess we’ll see how Friday goes,” Eggsy responds, “Want to talk about your thing?”  
“I have no idea what to do with this place once it’s done.”  
“Live here?”  
Merlin snorts a bit, “Cheeky. I’d love to stay here but once the renno is done I stop getting the allowance that replaces my lost income. We need money coming in.”  
“History tours?” Eggsy suggests  
“Don’t think that will work. We can’t charge enough to cover everything when our primary business would be local schools on a history field trip.”  
“Filming location.”  
“Are ye just throwing wild suggestions out there to see what sticks?”  
“Maybe.” Eggsy answers with a grin.  
Merlin rolls his eyes, “No. We need a business model that allows us to operate well all year but capitalizes on tourist season so that we aren’t prying money from locals. Plus being able to charge a fuck ton wouldn’t hurt.”

They sit in silence for a moment. Suggestions don’t come easily at three in the morning.

“Merlin, I have an idea. It’ll take maybe a bit more renno but I think… it might work.”  
“If ye say dance hall I will kill ye.”  
“No. Guv. I’m serious. Make it a bed and breakfast, hotel type thing.”  
“Eggsy I don’t know the first thing about running a hotel.”  
“Neither do I really but think about it. You could make bank pulling in people on their honeymoons who want a ‘boutique’ experience. With the right kind of history and polish to this place you’d get hipsters crawling all over you, and we have all the grounds and lakes and shit. Perfect for people who want to go camping but want an actual bed and shower at the end of the day. Plus you could run history tours a few times a day for locals and schools and whatever guests want them.”

Merlin sits stunned for a moment. He would need help running the financials but he’s coded enough websites in his day to make a fully functioning one for the house. Business would be slow at first so he could handle changing sheets for the few guests he had.

“We do have that old great room that we didn’t know what to do with. The wall in there is partially rotted so we might be able to convince the historical society to put in doors that open outside. It would make it perfect for weddings or corporate retreat meetings.” Merlin says absently.   
“Now you’re talking! Maybe get your attorney friend to look over the idea first to see if it’s actually a good idea. I know fuck all about running a business but it seems like a good idea yeah?”  
Merlin looks at Eggsy properly, “Ye are a brilliant young man. Truly wasted being a nanny.”  
“That mean I get a raise?”  
“Not right now. But if this idea is a success then ye deserve at least a small share of the profits.”  
“I was joking. I don’t need--” Eggsy starts  
“Ye watching Abby has made this renno possible. Ye came up with this hotel idea. In a few years Abby won’t need a nanny. She’ll be old enough to care for herself, and with carpool set up she won’t need a ride to school. When that time comes I don’t want ye out on the street again. Giving ye a small profit is the least I can do.”  
Eggsy is stunned into silence. Eventually he manages a weak “Thanks.”  
“In the morning I call Harry to get his opinion. For now back to bed for both of us I think.”

*

It’s Friday evening. Abby is tucked away in her room with some books. Eggsy is out on his date with Hugh. Merlin is enjoying a nice glass of scotch. His conversation with Harry went well. He promised to start looking into creating a business plan and contract.

“Hey Dad?” Abby yells from her room.  
“What?” he yells back  
“Have you seen my purple socks?”  
“No!”  
“Hey Eggsy?” Abby calls next.  
“He’s on a date!” Merlin reminds her. Seconds later he hears the pounding of feet as Abby races down the stairs from her room. She comes to a halt at the end of the sofa closest to Merlin.  
“What?”  
“I said he’s on a date.”  
Abby’s face crunches with confusion, “With who?”  
“Hugh,” Merlin answers his face crunched in an eerily similar expression, “Who else would it be with? He’s been dating Hugh almost since we moved here.”  
“I know.”  
“Then why the confused face?”  
“Well Diana told me that her dad told her that they didn’t have a date.” Abby responds  
“What?”  
“Diana told me that after the date two weeks ago that her dad came home and said that he and Eggsy got into a big fight. And said that they broke up.”  
Merlin sits bolt upright, “I’m pretty sure Eggsy said it was with Hugh.”  
“Well I think they had those call ahead thingies.”  
“Call ahead thingies?”  
“You know, where you call the restaurant and tell them the day and time you’re coming.”  
“Reservations.”  
“Yeah! Diana told me that they made reservations there for their anniversary and she was really bummed that they weren’t going anymore because they have really good chocolate cake. Hugh always brings her home a piece if he goes somewhere fancy. Do you think I could get Eggsy--”  
“Sweetheart, I don’t mean to cut you off but I need to do something. Do you think you’d be okay at Louise M.’s house for a few hours tonight?”

*

Merlin strolls into the restaurant less than half an hour later. He’d gotten changed in record time. A waitress approaches Eggsy, and judging by the slightly pained expression on both of their faces it isn’t the first time.

He can just make the out the waitress asking if Eggsy still wants to wait.

Merlin stride forward, apologetic grin plastered on his face in a way he hopes doesn’t look fake.

“I am so sorry I’m late love. I couldn’t get Mrs. McCurdy to stop talking my ear off.” Merlin says, just loud enough that it draws the attention of the waitress and Eggsy.  
Eggsy looks up at him, eyes wide with surprise, “Merlin wha--”

Merlin takes the seat across from Eggsy and apologizes to the waitress again and promises not to be too long looking at the menu. He finally returns his attention to Eggsy. Now that the initial shock has worn off, Eggsy looks a bit defeated.

“Hugh ain’t coming.” he surmises  
“Afraid so.” Merlin agrees  
“Guess I should’ve known,” Eggsy sighs, “I did call him a holier than thou cunt.”   
Merlin’s eyebrows shoot up, “Ye did? What was the fight about?”  
“Nothing important. What are you doing here?”  
“Abby told me, that Diana told her that Hugh said ye two were broken up.”  
“Simplify bruv.”  
“Apparently Hugh informed Diana that ye two broke up.”  
“He didn’t even have the courtesy to send me a break up text? What a prick!” Eggsy says indignantly, “Still don’t explain why you’re here.”  
“I didn’t want ye to be stood up.”  
“Okay. That’s real nice of you Merlin but you could’ve just called and pretended to be my boyfriend saying you weren’t going to make it.”

Merlin’s ears turn a bit pink, “I didn’t think of it. I…” well he’s in it now. In for a penny and all that, “On a scale of one to ten how upset would ye be if I told ye I wanted to have dinner together?”  
“We eat dinner together basically every night guv.”  
“Yes. But I meant a dinner without Abby. Just you and me together at a nice restaurant.”  
“What? Like a date?”  
“Aye. Like a date.” Merlin says softly.  
“Oh.” Eggsy responds and then doesn’t say anything else. With each passing moment, Merlin can feel the best thing to ever happen to him slipping through his fingers.

“Zero.” Eggsy answers eventually.  
Merlin’s head snaps up like a dog sighting a squirrel, “Really?”  
Eggsy grins awkwardly, “Well yeah. I mean I always thought you were well fit but I weren’t going to risk my job to go after you. And then Hugh and I got together but you and I became friends and now… Fuck. I think Hugh might have been right about me ‘having feelings’ for you. Jesus Christ you dropped Abby at Louise McCurdy’s house and rushed all the way out here in what? Their borrowed car? How did you even fucking get to the McCurdy’s? They’re like five miles away.”  
“Someone from the historical society left one of their golf carts on the property. Those things are ridiculously easy to hotwire. So I drove Abby to the McCurdy’s, and borrowed their car to come here.”

Eggsy bursts out in delighted laughter, “So you stole a government golf cart and then begged the McCurdy’s for their car which always smells like ass just so I wouldn't be stood up?”  
“That about sums it up yes.” Merlin admits  
“You’re ridiculous.”  
“So I have been told,” Merlin says with a returning grin, “So? What do ye say? First date?”  
“Yeah. Alright. But don’t expect me to put out just because I live with you.”  
“I wouldn’t dream.”


	10. Epilogue

“Welcome all to the grand opening of the Stuart-Rose inn!” Merlin shouts and a collective cheer goes up among the family and friends gathered, “I want to thank ye all for coming and admiring the hard work that has been put into this place over the last year or so. It’s been a headache but with everything completed I can’t imagine living anywhere else.  
I would like to give a special thanks to someone who has been my rock throughout this process, and gave me the idea for the inn in the first place. Eggsy Unwin, while our first encounters were a bit awkward I can truly say that ye have grown to have a special place in my and Abby’s hearts. Thank ye for having my back.  
Right. Now that the emotional shite is out of the way, eat, drink, be merry, and don’t forget to fill out the comment cards.”

The crowd cheers and applauds one last time then everyone goes back to milling about the great room. Merlin did get the double doors.

Eggsy wanders over to his mum. It’s a miracle that Dean let her and Daisy out of his sight. Although Eggsy is sure that it means Dean is planning something and doesn't want Michelle to be able to testify against him.

“Oh babe. Look at you. You’ve made a proper life here and all.” she says, cupping one of his cheeks.  
“Mum are you crying again?”  
“You shut up Gary Unwin, let me be proud.”

Eggsy shakes his head and lets her stare mistily at him for another moment.

“You know mum, we got these two little house things on the grounds. Think they used to be servants quarters for the married couples and their children. One of ‘em is getting converted to a honeymoon suite type thing.”  
“Well that’s nice. I’m sure you’ll make good money off of it.”  
“We haven’t decided what to do with the second one yet.”  
“Oh? And why’s that?”  
“Well running the hotel and taking care of Abby is going to be tough. We’ll need at least one extra set of hands.”  
“Room and board for employees is awfully expensive. It’s not a great idea for a new business.” Michelle warns  
“But it’s a great idea for you and Dais.”  
“Are you offering me a job?”  
“Come live here with me mum. Divorce Dean, and get custody of Dais. It won’t be easy but we could give her a shot at having a better childhood than me. No cigarette butts or punches to the face. Just a weird hotel in Scotland. Harry would help, right Harry?”

Harry pauses on his way to the shrimp platter on the buffet, “What would I help with?”  
“A divorce and custody case? For a family member of a friend?” Eggsy says hopefully.  
“Not my area of expertise but I have several colleagues who owe me a favor who would take it on.” he responds and continues on his way.  
“See mum? Got proper powerful friends now.”

Michelle seems slightly overwhelmed but she squeezes Eggsy’s arm, “We’ll see how hard my case is to win first.”

It’s the closest thing Eggsy is going to get for an answer for a while.

He tracks down Merlin in his bedroom later that evening. The man is still up in bed with a good book like usual. Eggsy strips down to his boxers and slides in right beside him. 

Merlin wraps an arm around him, “How did the talk with your mum go?”  
“She’s considering it. Which is the closest to a yes we can get right now. You sure you don’t mind piling my family in here? I mean we’re low on rooms as is and that backhouse would make a great additional honeymoon suite.”  
Merlin presses a kiss to Eggsy’s mouth to get him to quiet, “I promise I do not mind. Ye love your sister and mother, and with them in London half your heart is there. With them here you don’t need to worry, and I can finally have ye fully here. With me.”  
“Love you.” Eggsy says softly.  
“Love ye too.”

Their plans go better than expected


End file.
